On Wednesday, Gov. Josh Stein and local officials from Buncombe, Ashe, Haywood, Madison, and Rutherford counties traveled to Washington, DC, to meet with the Trump administration and members of Congress about his request for an additional $13.5 billion in funding for Hurricane Helene recovery.
He made the announcement at a press conference in Flat Rock in Henderson County on Monday.
The governor met with many of North Carolina’s congressional contingent, including US Reps. Don Davis, D-NC1; Deborah Ross, D-NC2; Greg Murphy, R-NC3; Valerie Foushee, D-NC4; Virginia Foxx, R-NC5; Addison McDowell, R-NC6; Richard Hudson, R-NC9; Pat Harrigan, R-NC10; Chuck Edwards, R-NC11; Alma Adams, D-NC12; and Tim Moore, R-NC14; and Republican US Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd. He also met with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought.
“It’s been nearly a year since Hurricane Helene, and while we are grateful for every dollar of federal support we have received, we need more,” Stein, a Democrat, said in a press release. “I was pleased to meet with the Trump administration and members of our Congressional delegation to advocate for an additional $13.5 billion to strengthen western North Carolina’s recovery, getting folks back in their homes, boosting small businesses, supporting local governments, and repairing critical infrastructure.”
Helene is estimated to have caused $60 billion in damage.
At Monday’s press conference, he said while he appreciated the help that has been received so far from both the General Assembly, which passed two appropriation bills in excess of $1 billion, and the feds, the governor also said the state has not received enough funding. The next stage of recovery will require a new commitment from Congress and “for the administration to remember the people of western North Carolina.”
His $13.5 billion request includes the following:
- $8 billion for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding to rebuild homes, small businesses, and critical infrastructure
- $400 million for the Small Business Administration (SBA) in forgivable small business loans
- Nearly $1.6 billion for the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to restore roads and critical infrastructure, including I-40, which has seen temporary repairs
- Nearly $2 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), primarily for Special Community Disaster Loans, which help local governments finance police and fire protection, revenue collection, hazard insurance, trash collection, and public facilities maintenance
While these four areas — restoring homes, supporting small businesses, bolstering local governments, and building roads — make up most of the $13.5 billion request of Congress, the governor said the state is still waiting for the $6 billion that Congress appropriated last December with the American Relief Act.
“So far, North Carolina has received or been awarded federal funding equivalent to about 9% of the total damage that Helene caused,” he said. “States that were similarly devastated following Hurricanes Katrina, Maria, and Sandy saw 70% of their damages covered by federal funding. The average is typically between 40 and 50% of total damage in federal relief dollars.”
Stein’s $23 billion request, including the $6 billion previously appropriated, would bring the federal support North Carolina received to 47%.
Sept. 24 will mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene hitting western North Carolina.