North Carolina Governor Josh Stein traveled to Burnsville last week to announce a major milestone in western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has now awarded more than $1 billion for water infrastructure and resilience projects across the western region of the state. Since the storm, 98% of damaged water systems have been restored, helping thousands of families regain access to safe drinking water.
“Twenty-one months after Hurricane Helene devastated communities throughout western North Carolina, I am proud of the Department of Environmental Quality’s billion-dollar commitment toward ensuring North Carolinians have access to clean and safe water,” stated Governor Josh Stein in a press release.
“Hurricane Helene left the people of Burnsville without clean drinking water for weeks, but with DEQ’s support, Burnsville is on track to provide its residents with clean, safe, and dependable water. We must continue building better and more resilient water and wastewater systems to protect future North Carolinians from storm damage.”
The announcement also underscored how much work remains.
“It’s an important milestone that DEQ has awarded over $1 billion for Helene recovery, but in some ways it’s just the beginning,” stated DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson in a press release. “In the years ahead we will continue to work hand in hand with local governments and nonprofits to complete these projects as quickly as possible so that our mountain communities build back stronger and are more resilient to future disasters.”
State officials say western North Carolina still faces more than $758 million in unmet water infrastructure needs, even after the state’s historic investment. Governor Stein emphasized that North Carolina cannot finish rebuilding alone and renewed his call for Congress to approve an additional $10 billion in federal disaster funding for housing, infrastructure, small businesses, and environmental recovery. Congress has not approved additional Hurricane Helene recovery funding since 2024.
The continued lack of federal action comes as Michael Whatley, who President Trump appointed to co-chair the FEMA Review Council after Hurricane Helene, continues seeking higher office. Rather than securing the resources western North Carolina communities were promised, Whatley helped lead a council that recommended shifting more flood insurance policies into the private market, even while he and his family held up to $190,000 in stock tied to private flood insurance companies.
As another hurricane season continues, North Carolina has demonstrated what strong state leadership can accomplish. But with hundreds of millions of dollars in unmet recovery needs and no new federal disaster funding approved in nearly two years, western North Carolina is still waiting for Washington to deliver the support communities were promised.
