Stein warns recovery funding running dry

At a recovery meeting in Asheville last week, western North Carolina leaders delivered a blunt warning: Hurricane Helene recovery efforts may last years longer than public attention and funding will.

During a meeting of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), officials, nonprofit leaders, and long-term recovery coordinators described a region still uncovering storm damage months after the disaster while simultaneously preparing for a financial slowdown that could threaten rebuilding efforts.

Joining virtually from Raleigh, Gov. Josh Stein said he spent much of the previous week in western North Carolina meeting with emergency officials, homeowners and local leaders working through the long recovery from Hurricane Helene. Stein warned the state is also entering what could become an unusually severe wildfire season, saying forestry crews had already responded to roughly 4,200 fires by mid-May compared to a typical annual total of about 4,500. 

“We’re looking to have potentially twice as many wildfires this year as typical,” Stein said, while praising the work of the North Carolina Forest Service. He also described meeting a homeowner whose family property was destroyed in the hurricane but who is expected to move into a rebuilt home through Renew NC by the end of the month. Stein pointed to recovery and resilience projects across the region, including water infrastructure improvements in Canton designed to move critical systems above flood zones after repeated flooding in recent years.

Stein said one of the most encouraging moments came during a visit to Lake Lure for the reopening of the lake alongside local officials and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

“I see how people’s collaborative spirit and incredible perseverance are moving the recovery of western North Carolina forward,” Stein said. “What we need to do… is to match their grit and determination.” 

Stein said he recently spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about speeding up FEMA reimbursements, cutting red tape and accelerating project approvals. He said North Carolina is still waiting on Congress to act on the state’s $13.5 billion Hurricane Helene recovery request focused on housing, water and sewer systems, transportation and local governments.

“Congress has not appropriated any additional funding for western North Carolina recovery since December of 2024,” Stein said.

The May 22 advisory committee meeting at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College focused heavily on Long-Term Recovery Groups, commonly known as LTRGs — local nonprofit coalitions that coordinate housing repairs, case management, volunteer coordination, grant applications, and disaster aid across mountain counties.

“These are going to be here in two years, three years, five years, seven and beyond, until the last needs for survivors are wrapped up,” GROW NC Community Partnerships director Eliza Edwards told committee members.

While billions in state and federal aid have been committed, the local nonprofit infrastructure carrying much of the recovery workload may struggle to survive long enough to finish the job.

State Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon, said lawmakers have already committed funds toward storm recovery and expect additional appropriations ahead. Corbin co-chairs the GROW NC advisory committee with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer.

“The legislature has set aside a little over $2 billion in storm relief money,” Corbin said, describing the response as one of the largest disaster funding efforts in state history.

But local recovery leaders warned that government appropriations alone do not solve the operational realities facing rural communities.

Edwards explained that most LTRGs do not receive direct state funding and instead depend heavily on philanthropy, churches, nonprofits, foundations, and volunteer labor.

She said recovery groups often serve as centralized hubs where survivors can seek help navigating FEMA rules, construction needs, transportation issues, volunteer assistance, and housing repairs. Their work frequently continues long after federal emergency operations scale back.

“If you’ve seen one LTRG, you’ve seen one LTRG,” Edwards said, emphasizing that each county’s recovery structure looks different depending on local needs and available resources.

Currently, 19 long-term recovery groups are either operating or under development across 20 western North Carolina counties, according to GROW NC officials.

Some counties opted not to establish formal recovery groups, while others continue adding new disaster cases months after Helene struck.

Edwards said many survivors delayed seeking assistance, either because they believed they could recover independently or because earlier aid promises failed to materialize.

That delayed demand is now colliding with what recovery leaders describe as a looming funding cliff. “What we have heard and learned historically… is that there is this sort of influx of resources and grant funding early on in the disaster, and that starts to trickle away,” Edwards said.

Chris Sigmon, executive director of the Yancey County Long-Term Recovery Group, offered a picture of the logistical complexity still unfolding in mountain communities.

According to Sigmon, Yancey County’s recovery group has already placed 96 families into an extended relief assistance program totaling more than $400,000 in direct support.

“Last week the Red Cross had a conference, multiple LTRGs were there,” Sigmon said during the meeting. “Asked who is funding beyond this year, no hands went up.”

Sigmon said his organization currently manages 159 active disaster cases with only four case managers. Several positions are funded through grants that expire later this year.

Recovery leaders also acknowledged growing concerns about volunteer oversight and construction quality.

Sigmon recounted one case where an out-of-state volunteer group improperly performed electrical work inside a damaged home, leaving exposed live wiring that later required correction.

By contrast, he praised organized disaster ministries that arrived with licensed supervisors, insurance coverage, housing plans for volunteers, and code-compliant construction crews.

The advisory committee’s broader mission includes advising Gov. Josh Stein and GROW NC on housing, infrastructure, small business recovery, accountability, and long-term rebuilding strategies throughout the mountains.

Officials say the recovery remains far from complete.

Across western North Carolina, new damage cases continue surfacing while local nonprofits face uncertainty about whether the financial support needed to sustain recovery operations will still exist a year from now.

“We’re constantly amazed by the cases that show up across Yancey County that we didn’t know about,” Sigmon said.

“Stein warns recovery funding running dry” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.