North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has approved over $600 million in disaster relief funding for western North Carolina counties affected by Hurricane Helene. This funding was approved after legislators passed the recovery bill the day before.
This bill is the second legislative effort to provide recovery funding for western North Carolina. The General Assembly had previously passed an initial $273 million relief package earlier this month. The aim is to address the estimated $53 billion in damages and recovery needs in the region caused by Helene.
“Western North Carolina requires substantial investments to fully recover from the most severe storm our state has ever experienced,” Cooper stated on Friday. He urged legislators to follow up this step with a more comprehensive package to help families, businesses, and communities rebuild stronger.
RELATED STORY | National Hurricane Center monitoring AL94 as next possible tropical storm
Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation in western North Carolina, resulting in 1,400 landslides and damage to over 160 water and sewer systems. It also impacted transportation networks by damaging at least 6,000 miles of roads and more than 1,000 bridges and culverts.
There have been 98 reported deaths in North Carolina as a result of the storm.
The latest recovery bill includes funding for various relief efforts such as $50 million for small business loans, $100 million for water repairs by local governments, and $5 million for mental health resources for public school students.
RELATED STORY | Why do some people choose to stay put during dangerous hurricanes?
The approved amount is significantly lower than the $3.9 billion requested by Gov. Cooper to assist businesses, agriculture, and utility repairs. Republican legislative leaders have stated they will review the funding request in the coming weeks during the General Assembly’s return to work on Nov. 19.
“The assessment of what needs to be done is ongoing,” Senate leader Phil Berger mentioned. “We have allocated sufficient resources to address some of the more urgent matters with time sensitivity.”
Additionally, legislators passed a separate bill into state law on Thursday, mandating at least one early in-person voting site for every 30,000 registered voters in 13 western North Carolina counties as soon as possible. Since this legislation is considered a local bill, it did not require Gov. Cooper’s approval.
