Over a period of many weeks, I have been working with fellow Helene Committee chairs to put together the fourth Hurricane Helene relief package. This package provides $464,750,000 in direct aid to the needs of the Helene victims. We identified $67,000,000 in funds that were in categories which no longer required funding. That money will be reappropriated into new or existing needs that have been identified. Below are the projects and amounts of funding appropriated in this bill:
$50 million for local government projects.
$18 million in funding to provide $50,000 grants to all fire depts and rescue squads in the following counties for Helene and for their great work on the wildfires: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Clay, Cleveland, Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.
$10 million for the NC Forest Service for contract services of firefighters, grading, or other fire services in the affected area.
$5 million for the NC Forest Service for the purchase of equipment to use to respond and fight wildfires within the affected area.
$70 million more in funding to address the now 10% federal match.
$15 million to various state agencies and local governments for debris and sediment removal.
$60 million to create the Hurricane Helene Economic Recovery Grant Program.
$20 million in flood mitigation grants.
$25 million in farm infrastructure grants.
$25 million for local airport repairs and infrastructure.
$25 million for rebuilding total loss schools.
$10 million for reimbursing private roads and bridges already completed.
$20 million more for private roads and bridges.
$20 million to volunteer organizations rebuilding homes and roads.
$15 million for stream flow rehabilitation assistance.
$10 million to DEQ for dam safety grant fund to repair, modify, or remove dams in the Helene affected area.
$5 million for grants of $250,000 or less for local parks, local libraires, and local museums damaged by Helene.
$9 million to the Blue Ridge Railway for recovery and repair of damages by Helene.
$1 million for Great Smokeys Mtn Railway for recovery and repair of damages by Helene.
$8 million for public schools’ repairs of infrastructure or buildings damaged by Helene.
$10 million to the Housing Finance Agency to repair existing long term rental properties damaged by Helene.
$2 million each to Western Carolina University, UNC-Asheville, and Appalachian State University.
$6,250,000 to be dispersed as below:
$5 million to the League of Municipalities and the Association of County Commissioners.
$1 million to the NC School of the Deaf.
$3 million for the Disaster Recovery Constituent Portal.
$7.5 million for repair, restoration, and cleanup from Helene.
$5 million for community college fees, tuition, and emergency expenses related to Helene.
We are going to continue to evaluate the needs of Helene’s victims. Please keep in mind that this recovery is going to take years to complete. The strong fiscal policies of the NC General Assembly since 2011 have allowed us to meet these needs without taking on any debt. We will continue to put funds aside so that when they are needed, we will be ready to send them. The NC House budget proposal includes getting our savings reserve back to $4.75 billion – the amount in the savings reserve prior to Helene’s strike.
