Despite the GROW NC office’s commitment to leading Hurricane Helene’s recovery more effectively than previous administrations’ disaster relief efforts, state officials clashed with legislators during a committee meeting on Wednesday regarding the current need for temporary housing in western North Carolina.

Facing an estimated $60 billion in damage, 74,000 homes affected, and 50 million cubic yards of debris, the NC House Select Committee on Helene Recovery convened on Wednesday for the first time in the 2025-long session. Key topics included urgent debris removal needs that remain piled up across the region and the critical need for permanent housing solutions before next winter. 

The committee heard from several officials over the three-hour meeting including leaders of the newly-formed Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) and NC Emergency Management. GROW NC was created at the start of 2025 by executive order from Gov. Josh Stein to coordinate an all-of-state-government approach to responding to the emergency. Matt Calabria, the director of the office, provided an update presentation on recovery efforts along with advisor Jonathan Krebs and took questions from lawmakers.

“We’ve supposedly taken away some of the roadblocks that were causing issues,” said Rep. Jeffrey McNeely, R-Iredell. “But yet, last Friday, when I was up in Hickory, there was still, gosh, I don’t know, it looked like 100, 200 campers sitting up there. Why? This is January.”

Krebs reasoned that residents in the western part of the state don’t want temporary trailers, which is why many are sitting unused.

“People don’t want them,” said Krebs. “I mean, to be as direct and honest with you guys as possible, we’ve made over 3,000 phone calls, starting with the folks highest in need, and they are open to having a travel trailer if we’ll title it in their name and give it to them. But in terms of true temporary housing structure, within the confines of what FEMA will allow, most people don’t want them. And it’s not just our problem. It’s FEMA’s problem. It’s nonprofits’ problem.”

However, legislators offered a different perspective on the demand for temporary housing, arguing that many are still waiting to be approved for a trailer.

“The way it’s being presented is that FEMA is taking care of it and they’re not,” said Rep. Mark Pless, R-Haywood. “The frustration is real for the people that are up there. You are going to buy 1,000 campers, and then you turn around and say, ‘nobody wants them.’”

Rep. David Willis, R-Union, said he knows of specific people who need trailer homes. He also mentioned that several families have tried to cash their FEMA checks, but the checks didn’t clear.

“I’ve got examples of multiple families who are actively pursuing and waiting for temporary housing and campers that they’ll take a tent if you have it,” said Willis. “So I need to know who to talk to today to get these folks because they’ve been waiting and been denied and denied and denied.”

Will Ray, Director of North Carolina Emergency Management, explained that travel trailers from the state-led program have been distributed to Ash, Avery, Haywood, McDowell, and Watauga counties. Another issue raised is the floodplain restrictions, which Ray mentioned FEMA has waived, allowing some travel trailers to be placed in flood zones as part of the recovery efforts.

“Our goal is to expedite housing as quickly as possible,” Ray said. “Again, as I think you’ve very clearly heard, we have to play within the guidelines of the federal programs that we have access to. We are trying to nail down and determine what FEMA is going to allow us to do under the Public Assistance Program, to be able to support temporary and emergency access to allow folks to access their homes, to allow fire, EMS, law enforcement, access to the community in a safe and secure way.”

The state has requested $25.7 billion from the federal government and has received $15.7 billion. Additional asks from the governor’s office include extending FEMA’s 100% federal-cost share program for an additional six months, which Trump can do unilaterally, in addition to securing an additional funding package for western North Carolina in any
funding bill related to the California wildfires.

Despite the discrepancies, leaders are determined to deliver a more effective recovery response for Hurricane Helene victims than the aid provided after Hurricanes Florence and Matthew. Meanwhile, NCORR remains in a state of uncertainty as they continue efforts to assist those affected by the events from nearly seven years ago.

State vs. Federal response

House Select Committee on Helene Recovery convened on Wednesday. (Source: Carolina Journal)

Officials repeatedly referenced the anticipation in waiting for FEMA approval, which President Donald Trump has criticized as a slow and bureaucratic process in state disaster recovery.

Krebs explained that they seek FEMA’s approval for projects to ensure that all activities are reimbursable. He emphasized that the recovery process requires working within FEMA’s system, using state funds initially and then reimbursing with federal dollars. While there are other systems available, Krebs noted that breaking free from FEMA’s structure would require appropriating state dollars, acknowledging that they plan to ask the General Assembly for additional funds.

“We have access to funds; the reason that we ask permission for FEMA, whether we can do XYZ project, is to ensure that it is a reimbursable activity,” Krebs said. “These are the systems that we have to work with them to fund recovery. To some extent, we have to ask for permission, act accordingly with state funds first and then reimburse ourselves with federal dollars. That’s the FEMA system. There are other systems out there as well, but the only way to break out of that system is to appropriate state dollars.”

Ray also touched on navigating the FEMA process and figuring out what they are going to determine is eligible and ineligible.

Last week, President Donald Trump visited Ashville, North Carolina, where he revealed plans to sign an executive order revamping FEMA, potentially shifting how disaster recovery is handled across the US. Trump argued that states should take a more direct role in disaster recovery efforts, bypassing what he described as FEMA’s slow and bureaucratic response. 

“Frankly, FEMA is not good,” Trump asserted. “I think when you have a problem like this, whether it’s a Democrat or Republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time calling FEMA, and then FEMA gets here, and they don’t know the area, they’ve never been to the area, and they want to give you rules that you’ve never heard about.”

SEE ALSO: Trump calls FEMA a ‘disaster’ during NC visit, plans to reform or eliminate agency

Committee members expressed a desire to bring FEMA officials or local government representatives with firsthand knowledge into the General Assembly, allowing legislators to better understand the situation during future meetings. Additionally, several members showed interest in organizing a group trip to the affected region to witness the destruction firsthand.