Gov. Stein requests $13.5B more from Congress for Hurricane Helene recovery

FLAT ROCK, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Monday requested $13.5 billion more from Congress in recovery aid for Hurricane Helene almost a year after the historic storm, saying additional help is needed from Washington to address record amounts of damage and to get funds to the region quicker.

The proposal also asks the federal government to distribute an additional $9.4 billion in federal funds that the state has already requested or is expecting but first needs additional action from U.S. agencies.

Stein’s administration says $5.2 billion in federal funds have already been allocated or obligated to western North Carolina for Helene relief, in contrast to the estimated $60 billion damage and costs incurred from the September 2024 storm and related flooding. Officials said there were over 100 storm-related deaths 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,” Stein during a news conference at Blue Ridge Community College in Henderson County, about 30 miles south of Asheville. “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, who said he plans to take his request to Washington on Wednesday, has tried to find a balance between building rapport with President Donald Trump’s administration on recovery activities and criticizing delays. On Monday, he cited “extra layers of bureaucratic review” slowing down reimbursements to local governments. More relief money has been permitted for distribution in recent weeks.

“Recovery costs money, more money than any city or county in western North Carolina can manage even from a cash flow standpoint,” Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, who co-chairs an Helene recovery advisory commission, said Monday.

The Democratic governor and his Helene recovery office has often cited a bar chart they say shows relatively meager financial assistance received so far from the federal government as a percentage of total storm-related costs compared to what was provided for other recent U.S. hurricanes.

“Western North Carolina has not received anywhere near what it needs, nor our fair share,” he said.

About $8.1 billion of the $13.5 billion that Stein is requesting would go to the state’s already approved disaster recovery block grant program. More than one-third of that portion would help rebuild or replace thousands of homes and businesses, provide rental assistance and perform storm mitigation activities.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development already has awarded $1.65 billion of these block grants to the state and to Asheville. Other block grant money requested Monday would go to fund forgivable loans for small business, the construction of private and municipal bridges, and support for homeless individuals.

Other newly requested funds would include nearly $1.6 billion to increase reimbursements to rebuild major roads, including Interstate 40 and I-26; and $1.75 billion toward “Special Community Disaster Loans” to help local governments provide essential services.

The state legislature and state agencies already have provided another $3.1 billion toward Helene recovery since last fall.

It’s unclear how Monday’s broad proposal — addressed to Trump and North Carolina’s congressional delegation — will be received by the president and Congress in full. When Stein made a pitch for supplemental recovery funds from the federal government earlier this month, a White House spokesperson said the request was evidence that he is unfit to run a state.”

Meanwhile, the region’s tourist economy received a boost on Monday when the National Park Service announced that a 27-mile stretch of a popular scenic route has reopened with the completion of two projects that repaired damage from a landslide. The opening also provides transportation access to the adjoining Mount Mitchell State Park that features the tallest peak east of the Mississippi River.