RALEIGH — Last week, state Rep. Eric Ager, D-Buncombe, was just outside of Asheville, driving from Bat Cave to Fairview. Parts of the journey were along a one-lane dirt road, a temporary replacement after Tropical Storm Helene wreaked havoc on the landscape.
While he’s noticed recovery efforts in other parts of the region, Ager said in some areas there’s not much work happening.
“We got tough weather up there this time of year, but mostly it’s that the funds are dry,” Ager told his colleagues on the House floor before they voted on the latest recovery package. “Now, we know we keep hearing that those federal funds are coming, but I’ll just say that if they are coming, they’re coming awfully slow and we need the help now.”
On Tuesday, the state House voted unanimously in favor of a $500 million funding package to aid Western North Carolina following the severe storm’s devastation in September 2024.
Still, it was about half of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s $1.07 billion request, but lawmakers promised that it was just the beginning.
Upon state Senate and governor approval, the package would bring North Carolina’s total recovery spending to over a billion dollars.
The cost of recovery
While House Bill 47, titled the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part 1, is subject to change before its passage, it currently centers on several key areas of recovery: immediate disaster response, infrastructure and economic revitalization.
To get the job done, the measure uses the $225 million transferred from the state’s “Rainy Day Fund” to the Helene Fund as well as $275 million from the state’s Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund.
However, the legislature excluded several of Stein’s requests: $50 million for affordable housing development; $10 million for a homeless housing stabilization program; and $25 million for immediate minor repairs and non-FEMA eligible needs.
Despite that, the proposed bill addresses a variety of Helene-related needs, some more immediate than others.
Thus far, over 4.6 million cubic yards of debris have been removed from the disaster zone. But there is more to be done, and much recovery work hinges on debris being out of the way. House lawmakers dedicated $20 million for such removal in HB 47.
To address other immediate needs, the bill also includes $10 million in grants for volunteer organizations working in the area.
The largest ticket item, however, is infrastructure. Destroyed private roads and bridges hinder recovery efforts and emergency access to homes and businesses. So far, 6,723 of these projects have been funded, according to the state auditor’s Helene dashboard.
The bill also gives $100 million to North Carolina’s Division of Emergency Management to distribute for more projects after the agency has made sure federal funding or other money isn’t available.
About 275,000 households are expected to apply for individual assistance, and 73,700 homes in Western North Carolina are thought to be damaged, according to an analysis by the Office of the State Budget and Management. The state budget office estimates that restoring housing will cost about $15.3 billion.
But the state doesn’t have that much money to spare. Stein wanted to provide $263 million. House lawmakers countered with $135 million.
Both proposed spending plans include a small contribution toward rental assistance paired with a large check to the state Department of Commerce for the Home Reconstruction and Repair Program.
This assistance — $125 million per the House bill — consists of startup funds to be used until federal housing money arrives, in about a year. The money will be used to offer buyouts to some homeowners as well as reconstruction and rehabilitation of other homes.
Fire departments get their own payday, too. The Office of the State Fire Marshal is set to receive $10 million, first to repair damage to fire station buildings and vehicles. Then to be equally divided between the area’s fire departments for equipment and other improvements.
The remaining funds in the package are dedicated to getting Western North Carolina’s small businesses and industry back on their feet.
Due to Helene, farmers may have lost crops, livestock, equipment or buildings. The House bill provides $150 million toward two programs to help them resume production and protect against future flooding.
Small businesses may earn up to $1 million grants for damaged infrastructure like water, sewer, gas and telecommunications that keep them from reopening through a $55 million Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program.
Finally, the Department of Commerce gets $5 million to create a targeted media campaign aimed at attracting tourists to Western North Carolina.
Next Helene package needs more
There isn’t a dollar in the bill for public schools.
State Rep. Marcia Morey, D-Durham, took issue with that on Tuesday. Lawmakers denied Stein’s request of $56 million designated for families and children, which included a summer program to address learning loss and emergency student aid grants.
“We have eight counties. We have at least four schools (where) kids couldn’t go back — they had to go to other facilities. We have two schools totally decimated,” Morey said. “And so we’re not doing it today, but our public school kids need a place to go. They need a facility. I hope in the next bill, we will address the children out west in these affected counties.”
Other Democrats placed requests for more funding in the near future. Rep. Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe, said that while there were a lot of “good things” in the bill, it wasn’t enough.
“We talk about the risk of paying for things that FEMA is supposed to pay for because we’re worried about the match,” Prather said. “We talk about getting ahead of federal money. What we don’t talk about is the risk of not spending that money.”
Republican Rep. Dudley Greene, who represents Avery, McDowell, Mitchell and Yancey counties, said this isn’t the final spending package.
“It’s not even the beginning of the end,” he assured, “but perhaps it is the end of the beginning.”
This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.