The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced another $33 million in Hurricane Helene reco
very projects in North Carolina, bringing the agency’s total spending on public assistance grants since the storm to more than $1 billion.
The funding is on top of more than $2 billion FEMA has provided to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for sta
tewide debris removal, the agency said in a bulletin this week. The a
gency noted it also has paid more than $542 million in grants to survivors to help families recover.
Helene made landfall in September 2024, bringing winds and heavy rainfall from Florida to North Carolina, with
some of the worst flooding ever seen in western North Carolina. I
nsured losses have been calculated to be as much as $16 billion, according to industry estimates.
FEMA has been a significant source of recovery funding, especially in North Carolina. Many properties wer
e not covered by the National Flood Insurance Program or by private flood insurance.
The agency’s assistance grants include:
$10.7 million to
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ee Tree Dam, along with emergency protective measures taken b
y the city’s Water Resources Department, and other projects.
$7.4 million to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for ro
ad repairs in Alleghany, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, and McDowell counties.
$3.4 million to Avery County for repairs to the senior center an
d administrative building.
$1.6 million to the t
own of Beech Mountain for emergency protective measures taken following Helene, including temporary power t
o the emergency operations and distribution centers.
$1.2 million to the town of Spruce Pine for repairs to their water and wastewater distribution systems.
$1 million to North Carolina Emergency Management for additional reimbursements for emergency protecti
ve measures, including activation for the state’s emergency response center critical life-saving public informati
on.
FEMA said it is reimbursing Helene costs at 90%, an enhanced level of support reserved for the most significant disasters.