RALEIGH — Another tranche of nearly $165 million in public assistance grants is headed to North Carolina, made up of $92.1 million for Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery and $73.8 million in outstanding COVID-19 emergency measure grants.
The funds will come through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its subagencies like FEMA.
“Since Democrats irresponsibly shut down DHS, I have been working with President (Donald) Trump, his administration, and colleagues in Congress like Rep. Chuck Edwards toward a solution that will allow Helene aid to flow despite the current shutdown posture,” said Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) in a press release. “I am proud to announce that these efforts, in conjunction with Secretary (Kristi) Noem, have resulted in tens of millions of additional PA grant funding being approved for Western North Carolina.
“This solution will not last forever, as FEMA’s reserves will run dry without reopening DHS,” citing Congressional Democrats currently refusing to fund DHS and its sub-agencies.
Noem was ousted as DHS head by Trump last week.
Edwards, in a separate statement, applauded the citizens hit hardest by Hurricane Helene.
“When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, our communities didn’t hesitate — they stepped up immediately to protect lives, clear debris, and restore essential services,” said Edwards. “But FEMA’s bureaucracy slowed parts of that recovery. I worked with federal and state leaders to cut through the red tape and make sure these reimbursement funds are delivered to the people back home who have already shouldered the cost.”
Budd’s press release included a detailed chart of the grant amounts and related projects.
- $1,239,259 to the Town of Old Fort to restore damage to the Westerman Street Water Line
- $1,916,520 to Madison County to reimburse emergency response efforts
- $4,607,775 to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for road repairs to Pearson Falls Road in Polk County.
- $5,326,298 to Buncombe County for repairs to the county’s sewage system and other emergency measures
- $5,600,601 to the city of Asheville to repair the North Fork Water Treatment Plant
- $13,275,253 to Mitchell County for debris removal
- $20,358,749 to NCDOT for road and highway repairs in Buncombe, Mitchell and Avery counties
Of the projects listed, NCDOT is receiving the largest share of grant money at more than $33.427 million.
NCDOT recently indicated that repairs to I-40 for the five miles nearest the Tennessee border will cost $2 billion, an increase of $900 million over its June 2025 estimate. The overall cost estimate now sits at approximately $5.8 billion.
This latest grants follow more than $233 million in federal Public Assistance Grant reimbursement funds issued to North Carolina by DHS in early February, along with $116 million issued in January.
Estimates have put the state’s damage at around $60 billion due to Hurricane Helene, which took the lives of more than 100 North Carolinians.
Before the January funding announcement, FEMA paid more than $1 billion in public assistance grants and more than $549 million in direct grants to survivors.
But the overall federal relief total is estimated at closer to $8.5 billion when factoring in spending by multiple federal agencies, including $2 billion for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers support and to conduct debris removal and more than $1.4 billion in Housing and Urban Development CDBG-DR funds for housing and infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued nearly $2 billion in emergency relief funding for roads and bridges, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sent $75.8 million for child care and related infrastructure.
Another $10 million came from the U.S. Department of Labor for workforce recovery programs to help those who lost jobs. As of mid-2025, the Small Business Administration was estimated to have provided between $350 million and $420 million in disaster loans.
The Environmental Protection Agency has allocated an estimated $747 million for water infrastructure, resiliency and repairs.
The North Carolina General Assembly has directed a total of $3.1 billion in state appropriations toward recovery from the storm.
Gov. Josh Stein has asked the federal government for more than $13.5 billion to address unmet recovery needs.
