Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said the $100 million that the US Department of Transportation (DOT) released for emergency work on damage from Hurricane Helene is insufficient.

“The initial $100 million from the federal government will certainly have an impact on the immediate needs and reconnecting communities to the rest of the state, but it is just a drop in the bucket,” Berger told Carolina Journal. “Final estimates aren’t available yet, but it’s likely going to take billions of dollars and several years to repair Western North Carolina’s infrastructure.”

“Working in close coordination with North Carolina, we are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened and re-establishing critical routes,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a press release. “The Biden-Harris administration will be with North Carolina every step of the way, and today’s emergency funding to help get transportation networks back up and running safely will be followed by additional federal resources.”

USDOT supports response and recovery efforts in impacted communities as part of the Biden Administration’s response to Helene. This release of federal funding is part of that response plan.

“The damage, of course, is overwhelming. We’ve all seen the national media reports. I sat in command centers in Washington getting live updates from North Carolina,” said Buttigieg last Thursday during a visit to the Asheville River Arts District with Cooper. “But, there’s nothing like being here, seeing it for yourself, speaking with people who have been impacted.”

“Today I spent time on the ground in Asheville, Canton, and at a damaged portion of I-40, helping federal, state, and local recovery efforts to open up roadways and help communities recover,” said Cooper in a press release last week. “I’m grateful for the efforts of Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden-Harris Administration to provide critical federal funding and resources to Western North Carolina as we recover from this storm.”

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which falls under the USDOT, released the $100 million in federal funding last week to NCDOT after the request was filed through the FHWA’s Emergency Relief program.

“This funding represents a down payment in the immediate aftermath of the Hurricane to support emergency repairs critical to restoring transportation systems in affected states,” according to a press release.

The FHWA Emergency Relief program is intended to supplement the resources of states, counties, and cities to help pay for unusually heavy expenses, like damage to infrastructure caused by natural disasters. Earlier this month, Kristin White, acting administrator of FHWA, traveled to NC to visit the communities impacted by Helene.

“It has been devastating to witness scenes of the North Carolina families, neighbors, and communities destroyed by Helene explain what it means to have access to significant aid relief slowed or even cut off,” said White. “I am proud to say that the FHWA has been working tirelessly, shoulder-to-shoulder, alongside North Carolinians to restore community connections and support emergency response disaster recovery efforts.”    

Western North Carolina’s infrastructure was significantly damaged, including rock falls, landslides, flash flooding, road washouts, and bridge collapses; I-40 was also damaged in several locations.

“The $100 million from FHWA will go toward basically anything and everything related to the I-40 pigeon river damage,” Aaron Moody, assistant director of communications for highways at NCDOT, told the Carolina Journal. “So that will include the $8 million stabilization contract that we’ve already awarded and the permanent repair contract that we expect to be awarded in the coming weeks.”

Moody told Carolina Journal that more than 700 roads have been reopened in western North Carolina, and around 411 remain closed.