Nearly a year after Helene, NC Gov. Josh Stein wants faster funding from feds

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, The News & Observer on Sep 2, 2025

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Coming up on the one-year anniversary of Helene devastating Western North Carolina, Gov. Josh Stein is calling for more funding, especially from the federal government.

He’s also working on a new request for more state funding of Helene recovery.

Here’s what he says is needed.

On federal funding and red tape for recovery in WNC

“I think we are going as fast as you can when you’re dealing with a massive federal bureaucracy,” Stein said when asked about how long it’s taking to rebuild houses after the remnants of Hurricane Helene hit the state on Sept. 27.

He laid out the steps the state had to take — from finishing a plan, then modifying it once federal guidance was issued, then submitting it.

“Then we had to negotiate the contract, and then they had to give us the first phase of funding,” Stein said. “So I completely sympathize that things are not moving as fast as what people want, as what people frankly deserve, but we’re moving as fast as we possibly can.”

He went on to commend nonprofits working to rebuild.

“They cannot get all of the work done themselves. The nonprofit sector is critical. Neighbors helping neighbors is critical. But when you have a disaster of this scale ... you need the federal government to step up.”

Stein said his administration is working with federal agencies like the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency to distribute money that’s already been appropriated, but the state needs more.

“Where we are lacking is a meaningful federal appropriation, and so we need Congress and we need the (Trump) administration to do a supplemental disaster appropriation. I have an $11.5 billion request before them today,” Stein said.

Stein said over the next weeks they’ll refine that existing request to Washington to focus on what the state “desperately deserves.”

Stein wants supplemental disaster money, same treatment as other states

He also criticized the federal government for not allocating as much funding as other states that have had disasters.

“What we want is for the federal government to care as much about Western North Carolina as they cared about Louisiana, as they cared about Puerto Rico, as they cared about New Jersey — states that experience massive storms, but where the federal government provided 50, 60, 70% of the damages to help those places recover. So far, we’re about at 8%.”

FEMA previously told the Charlotte Observer that while “every disaster is unique, and recovery will look different in every community and across every type of disaster,” its response to Helene has matched or exceeded the response to past storms in the region. In that August statement, FEMA pointed to a 90% federal cost share for the agency’s public assistance program, more than $500 million in individual assistance grants and more than $600 million in public assistance reimbursements.

Stein did note his appreciation that more federal reimbursement money has been flowing to North Carolina for local government spending in the immediate aftermath of Helene.

Stein said he wants the Trump administration and Congress to pass supplemental disaster funding.

“We’ve had good money, but we need real money to help Western North Carolina get back on its feet quicker,” he said.

Gov. Stein will ask the General Assembly for more Helene funds

The first bill that Stein signed into law when he became governor in January was a Helene recovery measure. That has been one significant area of agreement between Stein, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled legislature.

He worked with Republicans on a second Helene funding bill, too, and will be making another request soon.

“What they funded has been positive, in my view, it just hasn’t been enough,” Stein said of his interaction with state lawmakers.

“We will continue to work through and prioritize what programs really make a big difference and how much to fund,” he said.

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(Briah Lumpkins of the Charlotte Observer contributed to this report.)