WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Tim Moore (NC-14) announced that communities across Western North Carolina will receive more than $16.5 million in federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to continue recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. The funding will support critical infrastructure repairs and debris removal in Lake Lure, Burke County, and Polk County.

"This funding helps our communities move from cleanup to full recovery," said Congressman Moore."In Burke County alone, this means clearing hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of debris to protect families and public safety. It also restores critical lake safety infrastructure in Lake Lure and rebuilds Pearson Falls Road in Polk County so folks can travel safely again. I'm grateful to President Trump and the folks at FEMA for helping ensure Western North Carolina's recovery keeps moving forward."

The Town of Lake Lure will receive $1,334,679.39 in federal funding under Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Act to repair critical lake safety facilities damaged during the storm. Hurricane Helene's severe winds, heavy rain, and flooding caused major damage to the town's debris booms, anchoring systems, stream level gauges, safety buoys, and marina fueling system. These repairs will restore the facilities to their pre-disaster design and function, ensuring the safety of residents and visitors and protecting one of Western North Carolina's most important economic and recreational assets. The total project cost of $1,482,977.10 is funded at a 90 percent federal cost share.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will receive $4,146,998.35 in federal funding under Section 406 of the Stafford Act to complete permanent repairs to seven damaged segments of State Route 1102 (Pearson Falls Road) in Polk County. Heavy rainfall and flooding severely damaged the roadway, requiring reconstruction of base materials, embankments, asphalt surfaces, culverts, and guardrails. The project also includes erosion control measures to strengthen the roadway against future storms. The total project cost of $4,607,775.94 is funded at a 90 percent federal cost share.

Burke County will receive two separate FEMA awards for debris removal operations under Section 428 of the Stafford Act through the Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Debris Removal program.

The first award provides $3,505,502.77 in federal funding for debris removed from roads and public property, including more than 47,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris and nearly 1,000 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris. The total project cost of $3,895,003.07 is funded at a 90 percent federal cost share.

The second award provides $7,577,605.79 in federal funding at a 100 percent federal cost share for additional large-scale debris removal operations. Cleanup efforts included removing approximately 216,460 cubic yards of vegetative debris, more than 12,000 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris, hazardous leaning trees, hanging limbs, stumps, and white goods from roads and public rights of way. Debris was transported to permitted staging and disposal sites for grinding, chipping, burning, and final disposal.