Photo: Alamy
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday that it will provide an additional $64.2 million in disaster relief to communities in western North Carolina recovering from Hurricane Helene.
The money, distributed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will fund more than 200 state and local projects for road repairs, infrastructure restoration, debris removal and other emergency measures, the DHS said.
“Our message to North Carolinians is clear: We are in your corner,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “Since Jan. 20, 2025, FEMA has delivered over $380 million in public assistance to North Carolina and $2 billion for debris removal, totaling $3 billion since Hurricane Helene, making our efforts one of the largest debris missions ever.”
DHS said families in the state have received $509 million in direct aid, $209.4 million in National Flood Insurance Program claims and housing support for nearly 6,000 households.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Sept. 26, 2024, as a Category 4 storm, bringing massive flooding across the Southeast and southern Appalachians.
The storm killed at least 250 people, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since Katrina in 2005. Nationwide damage reached an estimated $78.7 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In North Carolina, the storm’s economic toll was estimated to be close to $60 billion, according to state officials.
Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., welcomed the new aid, saying many communities are still waiting to be reimbursed for early cleanup work.
“I am thankful for President Trump’s strong support for western North Carolina and personal interest in reducing the backlog of projects requiring reimbursement,” Budd said. “I will do everything I can to ensure communities in western North Carolina expeditiously receive the funding they were promised.”
The latest update also comes after the president’s previous announcement of nearly $32 million in assistance for North Carolina.
“I am proud to approve nearly $32 Million Dollars in assistance for the Great State of North Carolina, which I WON BIG all six times, including Primaries, in response to their recent flooding events in July,” Trump said on Truth Social earlier this month.