RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina General Assembly’s Government Operations Subcommittee on Hurricane Response and Recovery held a lengthy oversight hearing in Raleigh on Sept. 24 to examine how recovery money from Hurricane Helene is being distributed and used across western North Carolina.
County managers, commissioners, and nonprofit leaders described months of financial strain, missing reimbursements, and delays from federal agencies. Officials from Avery and Yancey Counties said they have spent tens of millions of dollars—often equal to their entire annual budgets—on debris removal and emergency infrastructure repairs that are still awaiting FEMA approval.
Faith-based organizations, including Samaritan’s Purse, detailed how they stepped in to meet immediate needs for housing and transportation when public aid stalled. The group reported thousands of volunteers, hundreds of air missions, and dozens of homes already rebuilt or under construction across the mountains.
State Treasurer Brad Briner’s zero-interest loan program was credited for helping counties maintain cash flow. Still, local officials said more assistance will be needed to keep recovery work moving through winter.
FEMA Causing Delays for Local Governments
Avery County Commissioner Dennis Aldridge told state lawmakers that FEMA’s bureaucracy continues to stall recovery more than a year after Hurricane Helene. While the county has received $15 million through FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program, he said that figure drops to only about $3,000 per resident when divided across the population — far short of what’s needed to rebuild.
Most other federal reimbursements, Aldridge said, remain tied up in red tape. Local governments report that FEMA frequently changes its rules and personnel, forcing counties to restart paperwork already months in progress.
One major source of frustration is FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) — the process for buying out homes destroyed or rendered unsafe by the storm. Homeowners must apply through their local governments, which submit applications to the state, and apply to FEMA. The state cannot act until FEMA signs off, and according to testimony, not a single Helene-related buyout has been approved, even though applications were filed as early as February 2025.
The delay has left hundreds of families trapped between two homes — still paying mortgages on properties deemed uninhabitable — while counties bear the financial and emotional burden of waiting for Washington to respond.
This is the only location where you may view the full, unedited hearing in its entirety. The North Carolina General Assembly did not archive the video, and to my knowledge, no other news outlet has published it.
If you’re searching for a particular speaker, keyword, or phrase, use the search transcript option on this page.
As of October 6, 2025, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) has reported the following hazard mitigation applications submitted to FEMA under the Helene Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP):
Buncombe County: Three acquisition projects totaling 200 properties.
Henderson County: Three acquisition projects totaling 87 properties.
Yancey County: One acquisition project with 40 properties.
Haywood County: One acquisition project with 26 properties.
McDowell County: One acquisition project with 25 properties.
Mecklenburg County: One acquisition project with 24 properties.
Avery County: One acquisition project with 23 properties.
Burke County: One acquisition project with 13 properties.
Rutherford County: One acquisition project with 12 properties.
Transylvania County: One acquisition project with 11 properties.
Polk County: One acquisition project with 6 properties.
Madison County: One acquisition project with 5 properties.
Ashe County: One acquisition project with 3 properties.
City of Greenville: Advance Assistance awarded by FEMA.
Town of Clyde: Advance Assistance awarded by FEMA.
These applications aim to reduce future flood risks by acquiring and mitigating flood-prone properties, per NCDPS.
