The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday another $260 million in reimbursements to local governments and state agencies for money they spent recovering after Hurricane Helene.
The money is part of a massive backlog of funds that were held up, in part, by a policy implemented by former-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Markwayne Mullin, who took over the department in March, has said he is ending the policy.
DHS, which houses FEMA, has been shut down for 68 days. The lapse in funding has drastically depleted the Disaster Relief Fund, FEMA’s primary source of funding for responding to and supporting recovery, according to the agency.
The announcement of the latest funding round comes on the heels of Mullin’s visit to Chimney Rock earlier this month. At a roundtable with state and local recovery officials he vowed the agency was “cleaning our plates so we can start fresh,” referring to the backlog of funding owed to North Carolina.
“I’ve seen firsthand the determination and hard work of those in North Carolina who are still working to rebuild and recover after Helene,” Mullin wrote in a press release.
“This additional funding is another step in our commitment to make sure communities have the support they need to clear debris, rebuild critical infrastructure and move forward. DHS and FEMA will continue to stand with North Carolina through every stage of their recovery.”
Some local governments have waited months for the money which was mostly used for debris removal in the aftermath of the storm. Some counties have spent more than their annual budget trying to clear the massive amounts of debris from their roads and rivers.
FEMA is reimbursing most local governments 90% of their expenses, with the state picking up the other 10%.
Recipients of the largest reimbursements include:
- $125.5 million to North Carolina Emergency Management for emergency measures to protect public health and safety and debris removal.
- $57.6 million to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for road repair or replacement and emergency protective measures.
- $42.7 million to Cleveland County for debris removal.
- $5 million to the city of Asheville for debris removal.
With this funding, FEMA has provided more than $5 billion to reimburse governments in North Carolina for work they did after Hurricane Helene swept through the western part of the state in late 2024. The money is part of a multi-billion dollar allocation from the American Relief Act.
The storm caused about $60 billion worth of damage in western North Carolina, according to the governor’s office.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has been pushing Congress since last September to allocate another 13.5 billion for storm recovery.
