North Carolina lawmakers have allocated nearly $900 million in disaster relief, but that’s still far less than the likely cost.
North Carolina lawmakers have allocated nearly $900 million in Hurricane Helene relief, but they say it’s only a preliminary number because the final bill is still being calculated.
State lawmakers unanimously voted Thursday to add $604 million in additional funding, on top of the $273 million previously approved.
But the catastrophic flooding and devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina last month likely resulted in at least a record $53 billion in damage and repair needs, Gov. Roy Cooper announced a day earlier.
If confirmed, it would be the 10th costliest weather disaster in the United States since 1980, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The estimate only includes damage in North Carolina, but Helene devastated parts of many states in the southeastern United States, killing 214 people, so the final cost may be higher.
As of Oct. 17, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation estimated that Hurricane Helene had caused $13.4 billion in insured losses in the state.
Cooper said he has requested an initial $3.9 billion package to begin rebuilding, specifically covering critical infrastructure, homes, businesses, farms and schools in North Carolina destroyed by Helene.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper presents a report on damage from Hurricane Helene and his $3.9 billion request to the General Assembly for recovery initiatives during a news conference in Raleigh, North Carolina on October 23 (Gary D Robertson/AP Photo)
“Good Start”
“Helene is the deadliest and most destructive storm to ever hit North Carolina,” Cooper said Wednesday as he presented his spending proposal to the state General Assembly.
“These initial funds are a good start, but the staggering amount of damage shows that we are at the forefront of the recovery effort,” he added.
Cooper told reporters that the previous state record for damage from Hurricane Florence, which hit eastern North Carolina in 2018, was $17 billion.
Helene and its aftermath caused 1,400 landslides and damaged more than 160 water and sewage systems, at least 9,650 kilometers (6,000 miles) of roads, more than 1,000 bridges and culverts and an estimated 126,000 homes, the budget office said.
About 220,000 households are expected to apply for federal assistance.
The damage report projects $48.8 billion in direct and indirect damages and $4.8 billion in projected mitigation expenses. The budget office estimates the federal government will cover $13.6 billion and private and other sources will cover $6.3 billion.
Most losses will never be recovered, lawmakers say, because so few homeowners and farmers in affected areas had flood or crop insurance.
The report found that nearly 93 percent of homes with flood damage verified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not have flood insurance.
Cooper’s proposal includes $475 million for a recovery program for businesses in hardest-hit areas and $225 million for uninsured loss grants to farmers; and $100 million for capital needs for public schools and community colleges.
Cooper also wants $325 million to go to homeowners and renters for immediate remodeling and minor repairs until a larger program dependent on federal funds is implemented.
Teresa Elder walks on a flooded road in Morganton, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene, September 27 (Kathy Kmonicek/AP)
Reduced number of fatalities
North Carolina state officials reported 96 people dead in Helene, which brought historic amounts of rainfall and flooding to the mountains in late September.
The death toll was reduced after one of the hardest-hit counties discovered it had overestimated the death toll by as many as 30. Buncombe County, which had previously reported 72 deaths, reduced that number to 42.
As a result, the Associated Press revised its multi-state Helene death count to 214 deaths.