Governor Josh Stein is asking the federal government for an additional $13.5 billion to help western North Carolina recover from Helene.
The storm touched down nearly a year ago, devastating homes and businesses, washing away roadways, and killing more than 100 people.
In a press conference Monday, Stein said the federal government has only funded 9% of the total damage Helene caused in the state.
"We are grateful for every federal dollar that we have received because it brings us closer to recovery, but we need more help. The next stage of recovery is going to require a new commitment from Congress and from the administration to not forget the people of western North Carolina," Stein said. "Western North Carolina has not received anywhere near what it needs, nor our fair share."
Stein said typically the federal government funds about 40 to 50% of states' total damages and major storms like Hurricanes Katrina or Sandy have led to upwards of 70%.
North Carolina's General Assembly has allocated billions of dollars in state relief bills for Helene recovery. Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, who joined Stein at the conference Monday, said the state is still facing $60 billion in damages.
"Our budget for the entire year, this is everything the state pays for — schools, police, roads — is about $34 billion. So, the damage is almost double the amount of our entire state budget," Corbin said. "We need federal help. $60 billion is not just a number. It's people getting a roof over their head, being able to put food on the table."
Stein is headed to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to advocate for the $13.5 billion federal funding request in person. Here's where that money would go:
Helping homeowners rebuild
According to Stein, about 74,000 homes were damaged by the storm and very few of those homeowners had flood insurance.
Small business recovery
In western North Carolina, 96% of small business owners reported that Helene negatively impacted them, according to Stein. He said six out of seven of those businesses have not reached their pre-Helene revenues.
Stein is requesting $8 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds. The program, he said, would allow western North Carolina to continue rebuilding without having to navigate the cash flow problems of reimbursement programs.
He's also asking for $400 million from the Small Business Administration to offer more forgivable loans.
"North Carolina's economy relies heavily on the strength of small businesses," Stein said. "If we don't support those businesses, we will lose jobs and people will struggle to put food on the table."
Disaster loans for local governments
Stein's request includes a $2 billion ask in new FEMA funding. He noted that for past storms like Katrina, Congress created special community disaster loans to help fund local government services like police officer salaries and trash pickup.
"Western North Carolina towns and cities were forced to spend money that they didn't have to rescue people from disaster," Stein said. "With so many people displaced and business activity diminished, there is no such thing as a stable source of revenue for these local governments."
Road repairs
Helene damaged 5,000 miles of public roads, as well as private driveways and bridges. The state has reopened more than 97% of state-maintained roads closed by Helene. Stein said the state is still waiting on reimbursements for that work and there's much more to be done.
"I-40 has reopened and people use it to go to Tennessee and back on a daily basis. We were able to repair it so fast only by using temporary measures," Stein said. "To get I-40 back to full strength, it will take more than a billion dollars. That is just one – albeit a very important – example."
Stein is requesting nearly $2 billion to permanently restore the roads and protect them against future damage.
Awaiting approved funds
In addition to the new request, Stein said the state is still waiting on billions of dollars Congress approved last December. Overall, the state is waiting to receive $6 billion in allocated or competitive awards that the federal government has already approved.
Stein also noted the federal government has added several bureaucratic hurdles that make it difficult to access funds.
"We're getting approved by FEMA and that used to be it. Once that happened, you used to be able to get the money and get it right back to these local governments," Stein said when describing a reimbursement process for roadway repairs. "Now, it needs to then be approached by the Secretary of Homeland Security — that used to be it. Now, it has to be approved by DOGE."
"So all of this is slowing down the reimbursements, which means these local governments do not have cash flow," Stein continued.
When Stein heads to D.C. later this week, it will not be his first time asking for more Helene relief money from Congress.
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