North Carolina lawmakers pass additional Hurricane Helene relief in brief session – Washington Examiner
North Carolina lawmakers have swiftly passed a $604 million relief bill to assist recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene, which has been described as the deadliest and most damaging storm in the state’s history. The bill, unanimously approved by both the state House and Senate in a one-day session, comes after an earlier $273 million relief package. The allocated funds will support various sectors, including $195 million for agriculture and natural resources, and $71.4 million for health services, among others.
Governor Roy Cooper is expected to sign the relief bill into law. He had initially proposed a more extensive $3.9 billion relief plan, underscoring the extensive damage from the hurricane, which is estimated to have caused around $53 billion. While the recently passed bill falls short of the governor’s request, lawmakers emphasized that it represents a crucial step in the larger recovery efforts for the western part of the state.
North Carolina lawmakers pass additional Hurricane Helene relief in brief session
Lawmakers in the North Carolina legislature swiftly passed additional Hurricane Helene relief funds as the western part of the state recovers.
Both the state House and Senate unanimously passed a $604 million relief bill on Thursday, weeks after passing a $273 million relief bill. The Disaster Recovery Act of 2024 – Part II is divided into giving $195 million to agriculture, natural, and economic resources and $71.4 million to health and human services, among other allocations dictated by the legislation.
The relief bill approved during the one-day session on Thursday is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC). The governor had released an initial $3.9 billion bill for Hurricane Helene relief on Wednesday, ahead of the session, calling the storm the “deadliest and most damaging storm” to hit the state ever.
“This storm left a trail of destruction in our beautiful mountains that we will not soon forget, but I know the people of Western North Carolina are determined to build back better than ever. These initial funds are a good start, but the staggering amount of damage shows we are very much on the front end of this recovery effort,” Cooper said in a statement.
His office said that initial estimates show $53 billion in damage to the state by the storm.
The relief bill passed is significantly lower than the amount the governor had requested, but lawmakers on Thursday stressed that their bill was only a second step of a larger process for relief funds.
“The assessment of what needs to be done is still in progress,” Republican state Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger said, according to the Associated Press. “What we’ve done is deploy an adequate amount of resources at this time to deal with some of the more immediate things that have some time sensitivity.”
Republican state House Speaker Tim Moore told the News and Observer that he expects the end cost to the state to be in the billions but that the current efforts passed by the chamber are preliminary relief bills.
“We’re talking nearly $900 million at this point that General Assembly has put in. And the reality is we’re going to be back Nov. 19. We’re gonna deal with this,” Moore said, noting when the legislature returns to session next.
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