The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has once again denied North Carolina’s request for an extension of 100% of the federal cost share for Hurricane Helene disaster recovery.
On Friday, FEMA sent a letter to Gov. Josh Stein (D) stating that the request for the federal government to reimburse the state for costs associated with removing debris after the storm, was “not warranted.”
“FEMA’s denial of our appeal will cost North Carolina taxpayers potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up out west,” Stein said in a statement. “The money we have to pay toward debris removal will mean less money towards supporting our small businesses, rebuilding downtown infrastructure, repairing our water and sewer systems, and other critical needs.”
Helene battered North Carolina last September causing an estimated $8 billion in damages and claimed multiple lives. Since then, Stein said more than 12 million cubic yards of debris were removed from roads and waterways.
Despite the news from the federal government, Stein said his office will continue their recovery efforts.
“We will keep pushing the federal and state governments to do right by western North Carolina,” he said. “We will keep working with urgency, focus, and transparency to get any appropriated money on the ground as quickly as we can to speed the recovery. We will not forget the people of western North Carolina.”
The governor said he would continue to ask the Trump administration and Congress to send $19 billion to North Carolina for disaster relief — $11.5 billion in new appropriations and $7.5 billion in allocations from previous appropriations.
FEMA previously denied the aid extension for North Carolina last month also saying at the time that it was not warranted.
