Source: NC Newsline
On his first full day in office, newly-elected Governor Josh Stein visited western North Carolina, signing five executive orders aimed at expediting recovery efforts for communities still grappling with last year’s Hurricane Helene, according to NC Newsline.
With over 12,000 residents in the region lacking safe housing, Stein’s initial executive order temporarily suspends procurement regulations to accelerate the availability of temporary housing.
“Winter is here in western North Carolina, and we must act quickly to get people in temporary housing and keep people safe,” Stein said in a written statement. “I will do everything in my power to make sure we are both thinking creatively and acting swiftly to help our neighbors recover.”
The order empowers the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety to acquire up to 1,000 transportable temporary housing units for counties included in FEMA’s major disaster declaration.
Stein’s second order delegates authority to create emergency assistance funds to repair private roads and bridges. The Division of Emergency Management has been instructed to contract for repairs to residential structures and roads using existing statewide vendor contracts established by the Division, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, or other state agencies.
Hurricane Helene caused significant infrastructure damage, impacting over 8,000 roads and bridges, many of which are critical access points for emergency services, school buses, and mail delivery.
Three additional executive orders include the following initiatives:
- Establishing the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) within the Governor’s office to focus on recovery efforts in the region.
- Creating a Division of Community Revitalization within the Department of Commerce to address housing needs and enhance community resilience.
- Granting state employees an additional 16 hours of community service leave to volunteer in organized storm recovery efforts.
Governor Stein emphasized that supporting western North Carolina’s recovery remains a top priority for his administration. He had previously enlisted Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer in November to strategize on the region’s long-term recovery needs.
State Auditor Dave Boliek voiced support for the recovery initiatives but raised concerns about funding and implementation. Specifically, Boliek questioned the financial sources for purchasing the temporary housing units and the criteria for allocating them.
“I will be instructing my office to account for every dollar that is spent in fulfillment of these orders, and to report on the effectiveness and efficiency of these orders,” Boliek stated in a letter to the governor.
