In DC, Governor Stein Shares Updates on Helene Recovery and Calls for Congress to Invest in Western North Carolina

Today in Washington, D.C., Governor Josh Stein met with members of North Carolina's Congressional delegation to urge them to appropriate more than $10 billion in additional funding for western North Carolina hurricane recovery. Governor Stein was joined by North Carolina Senator Kevin Corbin.

"North Carolina is grateful for every dollar the federal government has put toward Hurricane Helene recovery, and we're putting those dollars to work," said Governor Josh Stein. "I am encouraged by today's meetings with North Carolina's congressional delegation, and I look forward to working with them to deliver more federal resources to western North Carolina. The people of western North Carolina are working hard on their recovery. Their state and federal government need to do their parts."

Governor Stein's June 2026 request calls for:

• $3.07 billion to repair and rebuild damaged homes and recover lost housing stock
• $1.03 billion to rebuild and strengthen water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure
• $3.05 billion to rebuild local infrastructure, such as dams and municipal roads
• $1.56 billion to support economic recovery
• $300 million to restore private roads and bridges
• $560 million to repair federal highways
• $600 million to support local governments and communities.

This updated request represents a $3 billion reduction from Governor Stein's previous request, accounting for federal and state funds that have since been awarded and revised damage estimates. The state's housing and water infrastructure request is increased from the previous request due to continued unmet needs, as well as the state's demonstrated effectiveness in putting these funds to work. The state remains committed to getting residents back into their homes and building more resilient infrastructure to keep families safe.

North Carolina has led the way in Hurricane Helene recovery, allocating roughly $2.4 billion in direct state appropriations, including $395 million to match federal dollars - more state funding appropriated than for any other past disaster. Additionally, state agencies have redirected more than $2 billion toward Helene recovery, much of which has been spent in anticipation of federal reimbursement. Private insurance has paid out about $5 billion, and nonprofit and philanthropic partners have contributed at least $1.4 billion. The federal government has awarded $8.3 billion as of May 15, demonstrating the value of cross-government and cross-sector partnership. While this combined support has been critical to ensuring the region's recovery, Helene caused a total of nearly $60 billion in estimated damages - an amount that requires continued federal commitment to address.

North Carolina is also quickly distributing the federal funding it has received. The state got its federally funded housing program up and running faster than any state impacted by a major hurricane in more than a decade. State and federally funded efforts, which have leveraged cross-sector partnerships with nonprofit and private sector organizations to accelerate recovery, have repaired or rebuilt more than 1,000 homes, and more than 2,800 others are in the RenewNC program pipeline. Furthermore, North Carolina was the first state to award its share of the EPA State Revolving Fund allocation for Hurricane Helene, funding 127 water and sewer projects totaling $645 million.

Governor Josh Stein has on a number of occasions traveled to Washington to meet with members of North Carolina's Congressional delegation to thank them for their work and urge them to appropriate more funding for western North Carolina hurricane recovery. During his January visit, Governor Stein also met with acting FEMA Administrator Karen Evans to express his gratitude for the approval of some Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) applications and ask for continued collaboration. In February, Governor Stein visited the White House and asked President Trump to support additional federal funding to help western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene. In March, Governor Stein put forward a third Hurricane Helene recovery budget proposal at the state level to strengthen the economy, ensure safe places to live, build stronger infrastructure, restore forests, and unlock federal funding.

Click here to read Governor Stein's letter to the North Carolina Congressional delegation.

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