Amid ongoing state budget discussions and Gov. Josh Stein’s request for money Hurricane Helene recovery funding, legislators may look to “claw back” unspent funds sent to Western North Carolina over the last year-and-a-half, N.C. Rep. Karl Gillespie, the House Majority Whip said.
In an interview with NC Local in Raleigh this week, Gillespie (R-120) said Western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene has been a priority for the House. Additional recovery funding could be in the forthcoming state budget or in a standalone bill, he said.
“Helene recovery is a continual process. It’s not going to stop with what we’re working on,” Gillespie said. “There will be needs moving forward and we’ve got a really good group that’s able to work across the aisle and put together some meaningful legislation.”
Gillespie is referring, in part, to the Helene Recovery Committee, which is led by Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-50) and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer. The committee’s next meeting is May 22 at A.B. Tech.
Gillespie explained that part of the Helene funding discussions at the legislature is checking in on allocations that have already been made but haven’t been spent.
“We’re looking at any outstanding balances in any of the accounts, claw that money back, reallocate it where it needs to go,” Gillespie said. “It’s not a matter of blaming somebody because they did something right or wrong. It’s a matter of helping the people in Western North Carolina and doing what it takes to get that done.”
The top concerns for Gillespie are debris removal, small business funding and “getting people back in their homes.”
“We’ve had a lot of nonprofits that’ve done a lot of great work in doing that, the state has lagged behind and getting that done. We’re focusing on that right now and some things that we can do to help get people back in their homes quicker,” he said.
Gillespie’s comments came on the heels of WNC chamber officials meeting this week with Stein and other leaders for an annual legislative visit.
Stein thanked the group for coming to Raleigh.
“Your voices are desperately needed to be heard here, and we appreciate you all trekking down to be with us,” he said.
Twenty-six Chambers of Commerce from Western North Carolina counties are members of the group, and 14 counties attended the annual legislative visit to Raleigh. Hurricane Helene caused an estimated $60 billion in damages, according to the Governor’s office.
“We partnered with the General Assembly here in North Carolina to provide more than $2 billion. It’s not enough to meet the need, but it is orders of magnitude more than the state has ever done for any natural disaster,” Stein said.
Stein’s third Hurricane Helene Recovery State Budget proposal calls for $790 million in funding, including small business support, money to promote travel to Helene-affected areas, and help for local governments. This budget proposal is in addition to the governor’s request for $13.5 billion in Helene recovery funding from the federal government.
“To be clear, the federal government has not appropriated any new dollars for West North Carolina since the Biden administration, since the last Congress. And it is now time for this Congress and this administration to do its turn to help West and North Carolina, time for them to step up again,” Stein said.
“There’s over a billion – I think it’s approaching $2 billion – in [FEMA] approvals that have been made where the reimbursements have not yet come.”
Hurricane Helene recovery funding has continued to ebb and flow as a new head of the Department of Homeland Security has been appointed, as well as, a new head of FEMA.
Want to know more? Here’s some recent updates on Helene recovery around the region:
- FEMA recently released $260 million in funding that had already been allocated to state departments and local governments, BPR reported.
- A Senate bill is being considered that would shift key disaster response authority from North Carolina Emergency Management to the Office of the State Fire Marshal during this Hurricane season, WRAL reported.
- FEMA announced an additional $59 million to buyout more than 150 damaged properties in NC, according to FEMA.
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