EXCLUSIVE: Harrigan introduces SAFE Rural Act for storm resilience

On July 21, US Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-NC10, introduced the SAFE Rural Act, which would help rural communities prepare for the impact of flooding before the next storm hits. 

“After Hurricane Helene, we saw the same problem play out across western North Carolina,” Harrigan told the Carolina Journal. “Rural communities weren’t just fighting floodwaters, they were fighting a federal system that too often rewards the places with the biggest grant-writing teams instead of the greatest need. My SAFE Rural Act changes that by giving rural communities a dedicated way to invest in flood mitigation and resilient infrastructure before the next storm hits. That’s a smarter use of taxpayer dollars, and it will leave our communities stronger long before FEMA ever has to show up.”

The legislation would create within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) a fund dedicated to flood resilience, using a formula to ensure funding for smaller communities rather than requiring them to compete with larger communities for federal funding. This streamlines the grant process for critical infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, culverts, and drainage systems. 

“The worst flooding from hurricanes Florence, Matthew, and Helene hit some of North Carolinians’ unprepared, poorest communities the hardest,” Jon Sanders, director of the Center for Food, Power and Life at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “Shocking waste and neglect of hundreds of millions of dollars of federal recovery funds under Gov. Roy Cooper made it worse, with not a single home being rebuilt after six years. This bill would help poor, rural communities deal with major flooding events by automatically setting aside federal disaster funds beforehand, so they can deal proactively with aging infrastructure and be better prepared for when the storms come.”

Carolina Journal followed up in 2025 with some of the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Helene, and many of them were struggling to come up with the resources to recover from the damage.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reimbursed Chimney Rock for most of its recovery expenses, including $600,000 in security costs, Stephen Duncan, village administrator for Chimney Rock, told the Carolina Journal in 2025. Private investors raised almost $500,000 through a GiveSendGo fund, and $475,000 was distributed to community members. 

“FEMA has regulations which we believe are not in the best interest of the community,” said Duncan. He explained that FEMA’s restrictions limit the land’s use to mainly public parks. While they welcome private investment, buyers would need to pay the land’s pre-Helene value, which Duncan acknowledged as “a pretty risky potential endeavor.”

Black Mountain, North Carolina, sustained between $25 and $30 million in damaged assets and infrastructure, town manager Josh Harold told the Carolina Journal in 2025.

“It’s a slow process, and we’re going to keep working through that probably for the next number of years because I think it’s going to take that long,” said Harold. “At this point, we are continuing to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).” 

Daniel Stines, town manager for Spruce Pine, told the Carolina Journal in 2025 that the town hired a full-time grants administrator to handle anything related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), when he realized very early on that it would be a full-time job.  

Officials reported receiving $34 million in FEMA reimbursements during a June 9 Asheville City Council meeting and outlined ongoing efforts to secure additional federal recovery and mitigation funding. 

“EXCLUSIVE: Harrigan introduces SAFE Rural Act for storm resilience” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.