RALEIGH — The North Carolina House of Representatives announced a new select subcommittee specific to Hurricane Helene efforts.
House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) made the announcement last week and named Reps. Dudley Greene (R-McDowell) and current Majority Leader John Bell as co-chairs.
The new Select Committee on Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts was scheduled to hold its first meeting Wednesday and plans to hold additional meetings in 2024 and 2025.
“The creation of this committee is a critical step toward helping western North Carolina recover and rebuild after the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene,” Moore said in a press release. “By hearing from key stakeholders and resources, we can ensure that our future response is coordinated, effective, and focused on the needs of the affected communities.
“I am grateful to my colleagues for their dedication to this effort, and I am confident that this committee will make a meaningful difference. Together, we will stand with Western North Carolina every step of the way, for as long as it takes.”
The creation of the new subcommittee follows a hearing held last month by the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations subcommittee on continued slow recovery efforts for Hurricanes Matthew and Florence by Gov. Roy Cooper’s North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR).
During the hearing, NCORR chief Laura Hogshead was asked to resign but refused. Just days later, on Nov. 20, Department of Public Safety (DPS) Communications Director Jody Donaldson announced Hogshead was no longer with the agency. DPS refused to say whether Hogshead resigned or was fired, citing personnel file rules related to public records requests.
