(The Center Square) – More than 550 permanent and temporary homes have been built through nonprofit organizations for relief in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, a state report says.
Legislative appropriation totals more than $2.1 billion, and more is expected, said first-term Republican state Auditor Dave Boliek in his staff’s One-Year Review audit of the recovery. This is the 53rd week of recovery.
“Over 1,400 roads closed immediately after the storm, and since then, 97% of state-maintained roads have reopened,” Boliek said in his release. “Nonprofit organizations, including Baptists on Mission, Appalachia Service Project, Samaritan’s Purse, and Habitat for Humanity, have built over 550 permanent and temporary homes for hurricane victims. The Legislature passed, and the governor signed, legislation including over $2.1 billion in funding for Hurricane Helene relief.
“Though we have come far in one year, there remains work to be done. Despite some truly positive stories, many families are still struggling to get their lives back to a sense of normalcy. While certain state agencies have spent most of their Hurricane Helene relief funding, hundreds of millions of recovery dollars remain unspent.”
Boliek cited the failed recovery from Matthew and Florence, hurricanes in 2016 and 2018, under the leadership of former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. His creation of the Office of Recovery and Resiliency following the second hurricane ended badly, the leader having to resign with the agency millions in debt, and hundreds of approved new home projects not completed. Cooper tried to slip in a lifeline to the program through Hurricane Helene relief.
Boliek said, “The effort to recover after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence has been frustrating to eastern North Carolina citizens. Our office is taking a deep dive into what went wrong with a comprehensive audit of the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency. Western North Carolina cannot afford to face a similar outcome.”
Inside the numbers, the state Department of Transportation has spent more than $1.1 billion on road and bridge repairs; more than $140 million in cashflow loans to local governments have run through the office of first-term Republican Treasurer Brad Briner; and more than $60 million has come for crop and insurance loss from the state Department of Agriculture.
