Reporting by Cory Vaillancourt, Asheville Citizen Times
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved an additional $197 million for more than 30 recovery and mitigation projects in North Carolina, the agency announced July 2, continuing the federal response to Tropical Storm Helene and earlier disasters.
The new funding is intended to help communities repair damaged infrastructure, support long-term recovery work and reduce future disaster risk. FEMA did not identify the individual projects in the announcement, but said the money was approved this week for recovery and mitigation efforts across the state.
Of the $197 million, $162.1 million will go to North Carolina Emergency Management for administrative costs and debris removal. More than $7 million is earmarked for the N.C. Department of Transportation for bridge and road repair.
Morganton, in Burke County, gets nearly $3 million for repairs to its boardwalk, which is part of the town’s greenway system.
Spruce Pine, in Mitchell County, is in line for $872,000 for various sewer and water infrastructure repairs. Beech Mountain will see $589,000 for bridge and road repair.
Local FEMA funding impact
In Buncombe County, the City of Asheville will receive $1.5 million for bridge and road repair. Christmount Christian Academy, in Black Mountain, is expecting $367,000 for bridge and road repair. Christmount provides a camp and retreats for adults with autism or intellectual disabilities.
The announcement comes as Western North Carolina communities continue to track the pace of federal reimbursements, debris removal, private road and bridge repairs and other disaster-related costs more than 21 months after Helene devastated parts of the region.
Additional details provided to the Asheville Citizen Times July 2 by the Department of Homeland Security, which administers FEMA, show FEMA has thus far obligated $2.4 billion across the state for almost 2,900 Helene recovery projects.
The fact sheet says the U.S. Small Business Administration has disbursed $291 million in low-interest disaster loans, while 6,195 households have received rental assistance. Another 12,626 families have received a total of $34 million for repair or replacement of private-access roads and bridges.
Debris removal also remains a major part of the recovery. FEMA said 7.1 million cubic yards of debris — enough to fill more than 2,100 Olympic-sized swimming pools — have been cleared from public rights of way, while the waterway debris mission has removed 7.9 million cubic yards.
The agency also reported $200 million obligated through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, with 462 damaged properties approved for state acquisition and demolition. The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $219.1 million in claims.
In May, Buncombe County began closing on the first two batches of buyouts for Helene-damaged properties, mostly east of the city center and along the Swannanoa River. According to state estimates, North Carolina suffered around $60 billion in damages from the storm. Recent estimates show that the state has been allocated less than 15% of that total.
Cory Vaillancourt is the Helene Recovery/Investigations Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Find him on X at @The_CoryV or on Signal, via email at cvailllancourt@citizentimes.com or at 912-508-5640.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times.
Related: Saving homes or beaches? Potential NC seawall ban raises rough questions
