North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein is concerned that there has not been enough funding available to speed up disaster recovery in Western North Carolina, according to an address delivered to the Governor’s Advisory Committee on WNC Recovery recently.
The Committee met in Marion. Stein joined the meeting remotely via video conference.
Stein thanked all those present for their work on the Hurricane Helene recovery effort, and gave an update on his attempts to lobby the federal government for more recovery funding.
“FEMA needs to act with greater urgency, approving and distributing funds for relief,” Stein said. “And I’m eager to work with Sen. Mullin in his new capacity to achieve that goal.”
U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullis is the new head of Homeland Security.
Hurricane Helene (downgraded to a tropical storm after slowing down over land) devastated Western North Carolina in September 2024.
Stein said that recently he has been pursuing federal assistance on two specific issues, based on advice from the committee in the past.
“I wrote to the SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration) requesting an extension of the no-interest period for the loans that they provided to survivors in Western North Carolina, because many small businesses have not yet recovered enough to take on that burden of interest,” Stein said. “I also wrote to the Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce, in support of all North Carolina applicants for the Economic Development Administration’s disaster supplemental grant program. The EDA supporting these projects would help North Carolina businesses get back to pre-disaster levels, and it would help create conditions for new business growth and job creation.”
Stein also spoke briefly about his concerns regarding the ongoing Parkway closure.
“We know how critical the Parkway is to the economic health and well-being of so many small towns and communities in western North Carolina,” he said.
Just before he closed his remarks, Stein expressed appreciation for all the work that non-governmental organizations have done to assist the recovery process.
“Our nonprofit partners, our philanthropic partners, have been invaluable in this recovery work,” he said. “It just — it couldn’t happen without having the nonprofits of the world chipping in.”