Gov. Stein requests $19B in federal funding toward Helene disaster relief: 'More is needed'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Gov. Josh Stein is seeking $19 billion in federal funding toward Hurricane Helene recovery.

Following a meeting with North Carolina's US Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, his office announced the request, providing a 48-page breakdown of how the money would be spent.

In a statement, Stein wrote:

"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. 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."

"If you drive around here today and look at what it looks like here, I think a lot of people would be shocked," said Sophia Phillips, the Executive Director of the Appalachian Rebuild Project.

Phillips said her family has lived in the Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties area for nine generations.

"None of us expected for this to change our lives forever. There were genuinely many folks that I know personally and have spent many years growing up with that woke up in the middle of the night to their house shaking, their driveway or their culvert washed away or their houses moving," said Phillips.

She encourages efforts to attract more financial support.

"That funding is incredibly important, especially for some of these more rural communities as well. I'm in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, right now. Our entire downtown area was devastated. Our lower street, there's really not any business that could have withstood the damages that they went through from the storm. And that still remains true," Phillips said.

Business struggles and closings

Hurricane Helene hit amid a key period in the tourism industry, which followed a relatively quiet time. Getting money quickly, particularly ahead of the spring, would allow existing businesses and workers an opportunity to better capitalize on expected crowds.

"Our waitresses, our servers, everyone in hospitality, they're just not making that money. On top of that, dealing with housing loss, dealing with job loss. We've seen untold amount of business closures," said Laura Roseman, who works with the Watauga chapter of Down Home North Carolina.

Speed is essential, explained Dolly Reaves, Regional Organizer with Down Home North Carolina.

"The longer it takes our communities to rebuild, the worse the impact is going to be," Reaves said. "We still have families waiting for homes and bridges to be built. We have drains that still need to be unclogged. We have farms that are continuously flooding as the debris is rerouting rivers and creeks into their land."

Multiple disasters stretch relief efforts

Five months following the storm, there's also a fear of being left behind, as natural disasters in California and Kentucky generate their respective aid requests.

"That's just the nature of the news cycle. And I think it's doubly true for a place like Appalachia, which often historically has been kind of forgotten by the country in lots of different ways," said Austin Smith, Western Regional Organizing Manager with Down Home North Carolina.

Both Phillips and team members with Down Home North Carolina stressed the importance of supporting all victims of natural disasters, regardless of where they occurred.

"It's really important to focus on everybody who's gone through a natural disaster now, today, tomorrow, yesterday, and make sure that we keep in mind these are humans that are behind it. And it's not a competition crisis. It's just an importance of making sure that everybody is getting taken care of accordingly," said Reaves.

As of Feb. 11, FEMA reported that $372.2 million had been distributed to 154,577 families in the state to assist with expenses related to rent, basic home repairs and other disaster-related needs. Further, 18,000 households have received money to make basic repairs to primary residences, and 13,250 families have stayed in FEMA-paid hotel rooms.

Smith said she believes the nature of the area's terrain and continued inaccessibility caused by closed roads has prevented some from accessing help from FEMA.

"(The nearly $60 billion damages figure is) probably on the low end just because a lot of stuff doesn't get reported. People just make do and ask their neighbors for help. I think it's a it's a huge concern. And even the scale, the damage that we know is probably inaccurate and low," said Smith.

The Trump administration has floated the possibility of abolishing FEMA, and The New York Times has reported that it's looking into staffing cuts of 84% at the Office of Community Planning and Development, which operates within the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Office focuses on addressing damage to homes and infrastructure following natural disasters.

"We are having subfreezing weather right now and snow. We have folks who are still living in campers and who are unhoused that need housing," said Evan Richardson, Co-Chair of the Western Circle of North Carolina Poor People's Campaign.

Advocates have noted that many of the areas affected by the storm were already facing housing-related issues, as they expressed worries this would further exacerbate the situation.

"It's my fear that our people won't be able to long term continually be able to afford to live here," said Phillips.

Richardson added: "We immediately believe that Hurricane Helene increased homelessness in our region by 24% and some recent information that's come out in terms of economic development says that families that earn $60,000 or less that it significantly increases the risk that they could be homeless in the future."

Earlier this month, Stein requested $1.07 billion in immediate funding from state lawmakers as part of a fourth round of support. Meanwhile, House lawmakers are discussing HB 47, a bill that would provide a $500 million relief package. The legislation has been placed on the calendar for Feb. 25.

"There's a lot of great work happening, but there's still so much more that needs to be done and there's just no way that the small nonprofits and volunteer groups can cover it all. It needs massive investment to build up our infrastructure," said Beth Sorrell, Director of the Ashe County Habitat for Humanity. "There's still major roads and bridges that are out in the parkways closed. There's a lot of tourism industry that's been impacted."