RALEIGH, NC — North Carolina state lawmakers returned to work Thursday to consider it further Hurricane Helena relief workers have received an estimate of the catastrophic flood budget and what Governor Roy Cooper wants to spend on recovery efforts soon.
The Republican-controlled General Assembly held a one-day session to consider additional funding and legislation four weeks after Helen tore through the mountains of southeastern and western North Carolina.
Earlier this month, lawmakers unanimously approved — and Cooper signed — an initial one A relief bill that included $273 million, mostly the state’s matching share to meet federal requirements for disaster assistance programs. Members of Parliament have said that it will be the first of the actions they will take to deal with the storm.
North Carolina state officials have reported 96 deaths from Helena, which brought historic levels of rain and flooding to the mountains in late September.
Thursday’s hearing comes one day after Cooper, a Democrat, filed his own asking lawmakers to find $3.9 billion to help pay for repairs and revitalization. The request was included in a report from his state Office of Budget and Management, which estimated that Helen likely caused at least a record $53 billion in damage and recovery needs in western North Carolina.
Cooper said Wednesday that the state’s previous record for storm damage was $17 billion from Hurricane Florence, which hit eastern North Carolina in 2018.
State government coffers include several trillion dollars available for future recovery spending. There is nearly $4.5 billion in the state’s savings reserve alone.
Cooper’s request includes $475 million for the subsidy recovery program; $325 million to quickly help homeowners and renters with rebuilding and minor repairs; $225 million in subsidies to farmers for uninsured losses; and $100 million for capital needs of public schools and community colleges.
Agricultural and residential losses are expected to be particularly severe in the affected areas, as few farmers were covered by crop insurance and homeowners were covered by flood insurance.
According to the budget office, the storm and its aftermath caused 1,400 landslides and damaged more than 160 water and sewer systems, at least 6,000 miles (9,650 kilometers) of roads, more than 1,000 bridges and overpasses and approximately 126,000 homes.
