Asheville CT: A year later, FEMA funding Helene recovery costs in WNC
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FEMA gives $11M for Asheville water treatment plants, plus millions more for WNC projects
Asheville Citizen Times
- FEMA has approved an additional $64.2 million in public assistance grants for Tropical Storm Helene recovery in North Carolina.
- The city of Asheville will receive $10.7 to stabilize its water supply after two treatment plants were severely damaged during the September 2024 storm.
- Buncombe County will also receive $4.6 million for landslide slope stabilization.
An additional $64.2 million in public assistance grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been approved for Tropical Storm Helene recovery projects in North Carolina, according to a Sept. 15 news release from the U.S. Department of Homeland of Security, which oversees FEMA.
The funding will help pay for nearly 30 projects in North Carolina, according to the release.
The city of Asheville will receive $10.7 million for temporary water supply stabilization projects at the North Fork and William DeBruhl water treatment plants. Both plants sustained severe damage during the September 2024 storm.
“These resources will not only help us rebuild but will also strengthen resilience in our water system and our watershed for the future,” Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said in a Sept. 17 news release from the city.
In the last two months, more than $228 million in recovery reimbursements has been obligated to the state, according to FEMA.
Still, it takes 30 to 90 days for North Carolina Emergency Management, which oversees reimbursement applications for the state, to access obligated funds so it can distribute them to local governments and other applicants, according to the agency.
“There are internal processes at the federal level, and the state must submit additional documentation after the obligation is announced and before any reimbursement funding is accessible for the state to draw down from,” spokesperson Justin Graney told the Citizen Times in a Sept. 15 email.
Pressing federal lawmakers
Manheimer was in Washington, D.C. with North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein on Sept. 17 pressing federal lawmakers for additional funding for Helene recovery.
Stein, a Democrat in his first term as governor, made a Sept. 15 trip to Western North Carolina where he announced that he would be seeking $13.5 billion more from Congress to aid small businesses and rebuild storm-damaged homes, roads and infrastructure.
When Helene ripped through the region nearly one year ago, it killed more than 100 people and caused nearly $60 billion in damage. So far, the federal government has awarded the state just $5.2 billion for Helene recovery, according to Stein’s new funding request. The figure is about 9% of the total need.
After Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast region of the United States in 2005, the federal government covered more than 70% of the storm's cost. The federal government did the same after Superstorm Sandy hit the Northeast in 2012, and after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, during President Donald Trump’s first term in office.
More: Turning hurt into action: Asheville-area woman lived through Hurricane Katrina, then Helene
What projects will the $64M fund?
Through its public assistance program, FEMA is reimbursing recovery costs at no less than a 90% federal share. Since Trump took office in January, nearly $390 million in reimbursements have been approved, according to the Sept. 15 release.
According to FEMA, the latest funds include:
- $35.4 million to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for road repairs in Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, McDowell, Mitchell, Watauga and Yancey counties.
- $10.7 million to the city of Asheville for temporary water supply stabilization at the North Fork and William DeBruhl water treatment plants.
- $4.6 million to Buncombe County for emergency protective measures to support landslide slope stabilization.
- $3.5 million to the town of Beech Mountain for repairs to the Buckeye Lake dam, Buckeye water treatment plant and the town’s water systems.
- $3 million to Haywood Electricity Membership Corporation for repairs to power transmission and distribution systems servicing Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Madison and Transylvania counties.
- $2.5 million to the town of Lake Lure for the replacement of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge.
- $1.5 million to Asheville Christian Academy for repairs to damaged facilities.
- $1.5 million to Skyline Telephone Membership Corporation for repairs to utilities including fiber optic lines servicing Ashe, Alleghany, Avery and Watauga counties.
- $1.3 million to the town of Marshall for the replacement of the Marshall Town Hall building.
More: Gov. Stein requests $13.5B in new Helene assistance from CongressMore: Buncombe County to receive $2.6M from FEMA in latest Helene funding release
Jacob Biba is the Helene recovery reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email him at jb...@citizentimes.com.