Governor Josh Stein traveled to Washington, D.C., where he met with members of North Carolina’s Congressional delegation and acting FEMA Administrator Karen Evans. The meetings focused on securing additional federal funding for hurricane recovery efforts in western North Carolina. Stein was joined by Western North Carolina Advisory Committee Co-Chairs Mayor Esther Manheimer and Senator Kevin Corbin.
Stein thanked the congressional delegation for their work so far but pressed for more support, noting that current federal aid covers only a fraction of the region’s needs since Hurricane Helene. “The federal government has committed just over $7 billion toward western North Carolina’s recovery since Hurricane Helene. While we are grateful for every dollar and this aid has been critical to our recovery work, it represents only 12 percent of the storm’s total damage,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Typically, the federal government contributes about 50% of damage to the impacted state. It’s been more than a year since Congress has delivered relief for western North Carolina, and it’s time for the people of western North Carolina to get their fair share. Disaster recovery is a team sport, and western North Carolinians can’t afford for the federal government to sit on the sidelines.”
Stein requested an additional $13.5 billion in appropriations: $1.77 billion from USDOT mainly for road repairs; $8.37 billion from HUD aimed at helping homeowners rebuild; $1.99 billion from FEMA in forgivable loans to assist local governments; and $540 million from EPA to restore water infrastructure systems.
He compared this request with past disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina, Maria, and Sandy, where over 70 percent of storm costs were covered by federal funds. Currently, North Carolina has received about 12 percent coverage—$7 billion—while Stein’s new request would bring that up to 47 percent.
During his meeting with FEMA officials, Stein also addressed delays in processing Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) applications submitted by homeowners seeking buyouts after their properties were damaged or destroyed by flooding. He welcomed news that some initial home buyout applications had been approved but urged faster action on remaining cases affecting hundreds of families.
“The HMGP program mitigates the impact of future disasters, including by acquiring or elevating homes deemed to be at significant risk of future flood damage,” he said. More than 550 home buyout applications worth $240 million have been submitted from North Carolina alone.
As governor—the state’s chief executive since 1776—the Office of the Governor oversees law enforcement operations, directs state policy through budgetary control and appointments, leads the Council of State and National Guard, grants pardons, and serves all residents statewide according to its official website as well as its news releases.
