HUD approves $1.4 billion disaster recovery grant for western NC plan

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved North Carolina’s Action Plan for a $1.4 billion Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant to help western North Carolina rebuild following Hurricane Helene.

Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, submitted the proposal last month.

Normally, HUD can take up to 45 days to approve the plan and finalize the grant so, with the Friday announcement, the agency did move quickly in its approval.

“This is great news for western North Carolina,” he said in a press release. “I thank the Trump Administration for moving quickly to approve this plan so we can get busy rebuilding people’s homes.”

An action plan outlines the main plans, such as providing grants for reconstruction, funding the construction of units for purchase by low—and moderate-income households, and establishing a small rental and multifamily construction program. 

The Governor’s office submitted the plan to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for approval after getting feedback from the 30-day public comment period.

“After Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, we have been working tirelessly to rebuild homes, businesses, and infrastructure across the region,” US Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, commented in a press release.

He led North Carolina’s entire congressional delegation in writing a letter earlier this month urging the grant.

“Just last week, Secretary Scott Turner announced North Carolina has been awarded $1.4 billion to jumpstart the rebuilding process,” Budd continued. “This life-changing investment will provide real relief to the thousands of families who suffered from Helene’s destruction. I am grateful to the Trump administration for answering our call, acting swiftly, and demonstrating their commitment to our state’s recovery.”

Out of the $1.4 billion allocated to the state for Helene relief from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), $807 million is allocated to owner-occupied unit reconstruction and rehabilitation.

The approval comes after the North Carolina State Emergency Response Commission met Friday morning to discuss the progress made with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts nearly seven months after the hurricane hit western North Carolina.

Officials gave an outline of what has taken place so far, including:

• Over 6,000 people and 268 pets were rescued.
• Over 6.7 million cubic yards of storm debris, or the equivalent of over 660,000 dump truck loads, were removed across 22 counties.
• There were 131 search-and-rescue teams from North Carolina and nationwide, with over 3,300 searchers.
• Four thousand National Guard personnel were deployed.
• Twenty-eight thousand building searches were conducted.
• One hundred seven people died, and five are still missing.

While much more work needs to be completed, the commission is also planning for the future and learning from what took place last September, so officials are better prepared to handle any similar type of emergency down the road.

The meeting comes after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rejected North Carolina’s request earlier this month to maintain a full 100% federal match for the state’s continued Hurricane Helene recovery expenses.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, also on Friday, Stein urged FEMA to extend the cost share for a minimum of three months. 

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