Gov. Josh Stein on Thursday put Republican leaders in Raleigh on the spot, asking them to sign off on $792 million in state money to speed up recovery from Hurricane Helene. He rolled out the request while in western North Carolina for the groundbreaking of the AdventHealth Weaverville hospital, casting the cash as a crucial bridge while federal dollars continue to trickle in. The proposal zeroes in on housing gaps, local government shortfalls and long-delayed upgrades to emergency communications across the mountain counties.
Stein’s plan would shuffle some existing appropriations and add new funding for nonprofit rebuilding partners that focus on families who fell through the cracks of insurance payouts or federal programs. It would also steer roughly $230 million toward closing local funding gaps, propping up strained town and county budgets and strengthening emergency communications, according to WRAL. Stein urged lawmakers to move quickly so communities can stop relying on temporary fixes and finally pay for permanent repairs.
Where the money would go
The package would cover a mix of mitigation, infrastructure and housing programs. That includes repairs to water and wastewater systems, restoration work on high hazard dams, upgrades to emergency communications and grants to volunteer rebuilding groups, according to the governor’s office. State officials also pointed to more than $24 million in Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund grants and $16 million for volunteer organizations already at work on rebuilding, money that has been flowing to cover the most immediate needs. “Western North Carolina is coming back strong from Hurricane Helene,” Stein said in a statement, according to the Governor’s Office.
Federal aid still crawling in
State officials say the state cash is necessary because federal help has been so slow to arrive. North Carolina has formally requested at least $19.2 billion in Helene related aid but had received about $2.4 billion by the end of December. Roughly $4.6 billion more has been awarded by federal agencies but has not yet been dispersed, according to the Governor’s Recovery Office. That delay has left towns and counties weighing bridge loans and short term fixes while the bills keep stacking up.
The size of the disaster is still staggering. Helene is blamed for more than 100 deaths and about $60 billion in damage, based on figures from state officials and national reporting. The Associated Press has noted that legislators have already committed hundreds of millions of dollars and that Stein has been pressing federal officials for billions more.
Recovery work on the ground is not standing still. Officials say crews have already hauled away about 15.5 million cubic yards of storm debris, yet local leaders report that many cleanup jobs and emergency repairs have not been reimbursed, which is squeezing cash strapped counties. That running tally and the broader recovery dashboard are tracked by the state’s recovery office and detailed in reporting by Carolina Journal.
Politically, Stein’s request heads straight into a Republican controlled General Assembly, where he will need GOP support to get anything close to the full amount. Legislative leaders have so far favored a slower, more cautious approach to direct payments and large new programs. Lawmakers have already approved several Helene related aid packages in recent months, but how much more to spend and which programs should get the cash are expected to be hotly debated, as reported by The Associated Press.
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