(The Center Square) – Virginia will receive over $46 million in federal funding for ongoing disaster and recovery support following Hurricane Helene’s devastation.
Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner announced the funding, which they pushed for as part of the disaster relief package passed to fund the government.
The $46,670,000 is being allocated through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program, which provides “flexible funding to support long-term recovery efforts in impacted communities.”
The funding is intended to assist in restoring public infrastructure, homes and businesses, among others.
The senators say the funds are critical to rebuilding the communities impacted by the historic storm.
“We’ve both visited southwest Virginia in the wake of Hurricane Helene to hear directly from those impacted by the storm – and rebuilding those communities remains a top priority,” said the senators. “We were glad to secure these resources in the end-of-year package because this flexible funding is going to be critical to helping communities rebuild where it’s most needed. We will continue to support individuals across southwest Virginia as they build back their homes, businesses, and communities.”
Last fall, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership conducted an economic impact analysis on the southwestern region of Virginia related to the hurricane; it found the “direct and indirect” economic impact to be more than $2 billion.
Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 26 and has been linked to the deaths of 233 people across seven states, including two in Virginia, according to information gathered by The Center Square.
