NC House Republicans Approves $700 Million in Additional Helene Disaster Relief

North Carolina House Republicans approved a proposal to invest an additional $700 million to support Hurricane Helene recovery efforts across Western North Carolina.

This latest round of funding builds upon more than $1.4 billion already allocated for disaster relief, bringing the total to over $2.1 billion.

Key funding provisions include:

• $270M allocated from DOT budget specifically toward Helene WNC repairs

• $70M to continue pulling down critical federal disaster recovery funding

• $75M towards construction and reimbursement of privately owned roads and bridges

• $65M towards repair and reconstruction of damaged schools

• $50M in additional no-interest loans for impacted units of local government

• $70M in funding for local government capital repairs 

• $25M to upgrade and enhance regional airports to support disaster responses 

• $18M to invest in fire stations across WNC to prepare for a high-risk fire season 

• $18M in additional funding to support our frontline volunteer organizations 

• $16M in infrastructure investments to support redevelopment in Canton, NC 

• $12.25M to repair damaged state park facilities and expedite reopening

• $10M to support impacted public and private colleges and universities in the region

• $8M to support apple growers in Western NC