NC Gov. Josh Stein asks for additional $13.5 billion in federal funding for Helene recovery

FLAT ROCK, N.C. (WNCN) – Governor Josh Stein is asking for billions more dollars from the federal government for continued recovery efforts in western North Carolina nearly one year after Hurricane Helene.

“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,” The governor said at a press conference on Monday morning.

Stein is asking for $13.5 billion in additional federal funding for a few things.

He wants some of it to go toward housing assistance after roughly 74,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm.

“These homeowners need a safe place to anchor their lives and remain in their community; they need help rebuilding their homes,” he said.

He wants some of the money to go toward helping small businesses that were damaged or lost employees.

“Western North Carolina’s economy relies heavily on the strength of small businesses, and if we don’t support those businesses, we will lose jobs and people will struggle to put food on the table,” Governor Stein said.

He wants more money to go toward infrastructure and road repairs, including permanently fixing I-40, which he says has a price tag of $1 billion.

Right now, the governor says federal funding has covered about 9% of the total damages from the storm. He says the $13.5 billion is not unreasonable when compared to the funding other states received after emergencies.

“States that were similarly devastated following Hurricanes Katrina, Maria, or Sandy, saw 70% of their damages covered by federal funding,” the governor said. “The average is typically between 40 and 50% of total damage in federal relief dollars.”

The state has already funded about $1 billion in recovery this past session. The governor is still working with North Carolina lawmakers for more funding as well.