Amid recovery from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, a state audit says an aid station’s average cost equates to $220 for a load of laundry, and the average hourly rate for staff was $145.50 with $215 per diem daily.
The Community Care Station, as it was known for 189 days, operated in Swannanoa. The daily cost was $145,217 according to invoices from the vendor, says a Wednesday release from the office of first-term Republican Auditor Dave Boliek. The Rapid Response Division of his office said laundry services were provided at a cost of $3.9 million for 18,000 loads of laundry.
The station’s cost overall, from October to April, was $27.4 million. It also provided 14,000 showers.
“In the middle of a disaster, providing a warm shower, laundry facilities to wash clothes, and a place to rest is responsive to the public need,” Boliek said. “That said, the government must always be cognizant of costs and routinely assess if we are making the most out of tax dollars. Billions of dollars are spent on disaster relief, and North Carolinians deserve to know where those dollars are going, how much contracts cost, and what the end result is.
“The State Auditor’s Office will continue to evaluate dollars spent on hurricane relief. The more information we produce, the more can be learned about where improvements need be made in response to the next disaster.”
The rate of pay and per diem were not included in the average daily cost of the station, the auditor said.
This past weekend started the 36th week of recovery from the storm that claimed the lives of 107 in North Carolina, 236 across seven states, and did an estimated $60 billion in damage in the Tarheel State. It is arguably the worst natural disaster in state history.
The storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Dekle Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26. It was expected to come north to the Appalachian Mountains; however, the rainfall total from its dissipation there exceeded all forecasts.
Some places got more than 30 inches, most were at 24 inches or more. Due to terrain, water often rushed before it pooled and flooded – very unlike the hurricane flooding that happens in the coastal plains.
North Carolina lawmakers are considering a $450 million spending package for Hurricane Helene recovery that would push General Assembly appropriations to $1.85 billion.
The General Assembly passed three packages last year and another this spring. A congressional package of $110 billion passed in December included about $9 billion for the state. FEMA assistance has eclipsed $10 million.
