Supporting North Carolina’s Recovery After Helene

Tropical Storm Helene struck Western North Carolina during a peak time for tourists visiting the region to view its scenic fall foliage. As the severity and track of the storm became apparent, FEMA began working in North Carolina and across the southeastern U.S. to support the response and recovery efforts.

Helene’s impact left behind damage to homes and infrastructure from which it will take years to rebuild and recover. This region of North Carolina has many isolated areas with terrain that presents challenges on “blue sky” days that are compounded when powerful storms strike. 

In the wake of Helene, North Carolina Emergency Management, local responders and nonprofits were supported by FEMA resources to help disaster survivors during the difficult process and continue to do so every day. FEMA individual assistance and public assistance grants are part of this work. 

Individual assistance provides resources for the immediate needs of disaster survivors, whether that involves money to begin their recovery or provide temporary lodging or housing for those who were displaced. 

Disaster survivors receive Direct Housing Lease assistance.

As of Feb. 11:

• $72.3 million has been distributed to 154,577 North Carolina families to help with expenses related to rent, basic home repairs and other disaster-related needs.
• 18,000 households have received money to make basic repairs to damaged primary residences.
• 13,250 families have stayed in FEMA-paid hotel rooms.
• 2,057 households are using Transitional Sheltering Assistance hotels and motels, while 158 households are living in temporary housing units.
• $50.8 million in federal disaster unemployment benefits have been provided to more than 10,454 applicants.
• 5,203 families have received $15.6 million for repair or replacement of private-access roads and bridges.

FEMA public assistance grants help state and local governments with the funds needed to re-establish utilities, clear debris and rebuild infrastructure that are impacted by storms or other disaster events. 

Since Feb. 11:

• $379 million in Public Assistance funding approved to support community recovery.
• 4 million cubic yards of debris have been removed from public rights of way through operations in 19 counties in Western North Carolina, (2.8 million by state contractors and 1.2 million by federal contractors working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.)
• 56,000 cubic yards have been removed from waterway by federal contractors/the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve access.

Federal and state efforts are ongoing to support the people of Western North Carolina. 

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance crews have visited 138,000 homes and 66,000 people have visited a Disaster Recovery Center to get help following the storm. Additional support has come from the federal National Flood Insurance Program, which has paid $123 million in claims resulting from Helene. Looking forward to help communities prepare for future events, FEMA has provided and paid three years of flood insurance to cover 1,800 households in the region.

It has become obvious that these catastrophic storms are happening more frequently and causing greater damage. The Tropical Storm Helene recovery is one that will take years, and FEMA and the federal family will continue to support North Carolina communities until the work is done.