More federal relief money is heading to state agencies and Western North Carolina counties to repay millions spent making emergency repairs after Hurricane Helene.
The Department of Homeland Security, which houses the Federal Emergency Management Agency, announced the $155 million on Tuesday. Most of the reimbursement will go toward N.C. Department of Transportation projects.
Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Budd said he was “grateful” to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for releasing the funds, which may be distributed as soon as this week.
Since September, Budd has vowed to block DHS nominees from being voted on in the Senate until he saw more money come to Western North Carolina.
“I’m trying to get the attention of those at DHS that are being slow to reimburse North Carolina for funds already spent,” he told McClatchy at the time.
After the money was announced this week, Budd wrote in a press release that he would lift a hold he had on a DHS nominee and that he remains “very willing to use every lever of power I have as a U.S. Senator to ensure Western North Carolina is made whole and that federal funds are approved and disbursed on a rolling basis into the future.”
FEMA's Public Assistance program provides reimbursements to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments for some expenses incurred after natural disasters. The agency has provided over $849 million in Helene-specific funds through the program to North Carolina so far.
Only about 11% of the estimated $60 billion in damage caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina has been covered by federal aid, according to the state’s recovery office.
Where’s the money going
Over 80% of the $155 million in this round of funding is going to the state’s Department of Transportation. The department spent millions making temporary repairs to hundreds of roads and bridges damaged in the storm. This round of funding will reimburse the state agency $109 million for 30 projects, according to FEMA data reviewed by BPR News.
Henderson County and Buncombe County are also receiving millions of dollars.
Henderson County owes about $30 million to the contractor it hired to clear debris in the aftermath of the storm. Unlike many other local governments, the county didn’t use the Army Corps of Engineers, which meant Henderson racked up a huge bill and has been waiting months for federal reimbursement.
Henderson County Manager John Mitchell defended the move, “even though there have been some ups and downs and said he’d like state and national lawmakers to “ take a hard look at how debris is managed.”
“Having the counties that are most directly impacted have such a large liability on their books is a weak spot in being able to get through recovery,” he said.
This round of funding will cover about half – $14.8 million – of what the county owes its debris contractor. The $30 million Henderson County government owes equates to about 14% of its yearly budget. In August, the county switched to the State Mission Assigned Recovery Taskforce, or SMART, program in which debris is managed by a pre-approved contractor who bills the state.
FEMA data reviewed by BPR News shows that Buncombe County should receive $9.6 million in total reimbursements from this funding. Some of that will be used to pay for repairs to county parks and other emergency repair work.
The money flows from federal agencies to the North Carolina Emergency Management agency, who distribute it to the counties, cities and other recipients.
Gov. Josh Stein wrote in a post on X that he was “pleased” to learn of the funding.
“I appreciate North Carolina’s federal delegation for their continued advocacy. Every dollar moves us one step closer to making sure western North Carolina recovers stronger than before - but we still have a long way to go. I will keep pushing for WNC.”
