ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Gov. Josh Stein is asking the federal government for an additional $19 billion for Helene recovery.

Stein was in Washington on Thursday requesting money to help Western North Carolina residents rebuild lives, homes, farms and businesses and local governments repair infrastructure.

The governor met with U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd to advocate for critical investments in Western North Carolina’s recovery.

“Hurricane Helene destroyed so much across western North Carolina — lives, homes, businesses, farms, and infrastructure — and our state is facing nearly $60 billion in damages. Despite a focused response from federal, state, local, and private sector and nonprofit partners in the immediate aftermath, five months later, it is clear that much more help is needed to restore and rebuild western North Carolina,” Stein said in a statement.

“That’s why I am requesting $19 billion in federal funds for Helene recovery. We must support home rebuilding, restore critical infrastructure, keep businesses open, shore up local governments, and reduce impacts from future natural disasters. The state has already committed more than $1 billion in funding, and I am working with the legislature to deliver more needed resources. With continued commitment of the federal and state governments, we will enable the people of western North Carolina to come back stronger than ever before.”

Details of the governor’s budget request can be found here.

Action plan for Helene recovery

Stein wants North Carolinians to participate in the development of an action plan to address unmet housing and economic revitalization hurricane recovery needs in WNC. The $1.4 billion proposed plan, published Tuesday by N.C. Commerce’s new Division of Community Revitalization, will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for approval once the draft plan is finalized.

The plan is a requirement for receiving federal funds from a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery award, which Stein announced at a Jan. 7 news conference in Asheville.

Tuesday marked the opening of a formal, 30-day comment period when people can offer input through email, online, by postal letter or fax, or through a series of public meetings being scheduled in at least six WNC communities.

“Western North Carolina is going to build back stronger than ever, but it’s going to take work and planning,” Stein said in a news release. “I am grateful to everyone who offers constructive feedback and works with us to turn this plan into reality and spur action in the region’s economy.”

CDBG-DR grants focus on longer-term rebuilding rather than immediate needs for shelter. CDBG-DR grants address unmet needs in three core areas of recovery — housing, infrastructure and economic revitalization.

The Helene Action Plan proposes a majority of funds go to housing recovery for low- and moderate-income residents. The plan also lays out proposed funds for infrastructure rebuilding and economic support, particularly for small businesses and commercial districts.

“Hearing ideas from as many stakeholders and western North Carolina partners as possible will sharpen this proposal, positioning us to succeed with the tough recovery job ahead of us,” North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said in the news release. “Our team looks forward to digging into the complex details of how best to help these hard-hit communities and businesses recover.”

A damage and needs assessment published by the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management in December 2024 estimated 73,700 homes were likely to have been damaged in the storm. The estimate included single-family homes, manufactured homes and duplexes. Cost estimates for housing impacts included an estimated $12.7 billion in residential damage. Beyond the residential category, overall housing recovery needs approached $15.4 billion, of which OSBM estimated $9.5 billion might be covered by private and federal funding outside of the HUD funds. This analysis pointed to approximately $5.7 billion in unmet needs for housing recovery.

The pending HUD CDBG-DR grant earmarked for the State of North Carolina stands at $1.4 billion, pending federal approval of the state’s action plan. A separate HUD CDBG-DR grant of $225 million was awarded directly to the city of Asheville to administer.

The state’s Action Plan draft can be found here.

Several options are available for submitting comments about the state’s proposed CDBG-DR Action Plan:

• Go online to commerce.nc.gov/recovery-comments
• Mail comments to: North Carolina Department of Commerce, 4346 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-4301, Attention: CDBG-DR Public Comment
• Fax comments to: (919) 715-0096
• Email comments to: helene.recovery@commerce.nc.gov

A public hearing has been set for 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24 at the Land of Sky Regional Council office, 339 New Leicester Highway, Suite 140, Asheville. Details of the meeting can be reviewed at the N.C. Commerce website.

More information about N.C. Commerce’s new Division of Community Revitalization and its role in the western North Carolina recovery can be found here.