Stein moves quickly on Hurricane Helene relief
Gov. Josh Stein speaks to a group in Asheville about Hurricane Helene relief on Jan. 2, 2025.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
Newly elected Gov. Josh Stein wasted no time addressing some of the state’s biggest challenges after being sworn in on Jan. 1, traveling to Buncombe County today to announce immediate action on Hurricane Helene recovery.
“Martin Luther King, Jr, who we will all be celebrating later this month, said that if you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl,” Stein said. “But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
Stein, no stranger to Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene while he was still serving as attorney general, took the reins from his predecessor Roy Cooper on recovery efforts by signing five executive orders intended to increase the supply of temporary housing, accelerate private bridge and road repair, create the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) including a Division of Community Revitalization within the Department of Commerce, formally establish the committee that will advise GROW NC and allow state employees more leeway to help with volunteer efforts.
According to Stein, more than 12,000 people remain displaced from their homes due to the Sept. 17 storm, with many — but not all — staying temporarily in FEMA-funded hotels or with friends and family. Some are in donated campers or tiny homes.
“As we're in the coldest months of the year, it is urgent that people have warm and safe places to live,” he said.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety has been authorized to purchase up to 1,000 temporary housing units. Stein’s first order provides a limited waiver on state procurement regulations that will help speed up the acquisition process.
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The much-maligned North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency will continue its work rebuilding in eastern parts of the state and will not be part of the process in the west. As a result of an executive order by President Joe Biden, FEMA will reimburse 100% of costs within the first six months, so getting as many people into temporary housing now is critical.
Stein’s second order addresses the need to repair or rebuild the estimated 8,000 private roads and bridges damaged in the storm.
“That's why I'm directing the director of Division of Emergency Management Will Ray to quickly procure the services of bridge and road builders to get to work repairing these private bridges and roads,” said Stein.
The order fills in a critical gap that was cut from the relief bill passed by Congress just before Christmas. It also establishes emergency assistance funding for Ray’s agency to administer and contract with vendors, and as with his first order grants limited waivers within the procurement process.
The third order creates GROW NC, a dedicated office within Stein’s administration focusing on cross-agency cooperation, accelerating revitalization efforts and remaining transparent with it all. Additionally, the North Carolina Department of Commerce will establish the Division of Community Revitalization to coordinate with Stein’s office, nonprofits and federal and local governments.
Stein’s fourth order simply formalizes the 35-member ad-hoc advisory committee already established with business, civic and government officials from across the region. Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and westernmost Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon), who introduced Stein at the press conference, co-chair the group.
“I've been proud to share information on the ground about the ways people in Asheville are both coming together after the devastation of this storm and continuing to struggle, highlighting the importance of continuous focus on our recovery,” Manheimer said.
The fifth of Stein’s five orders allows for state employees to utilize additional community service leave to volunteer with dedicated storm relief organizations.
During the press conference, Stein was flanked by a bevy of local officials including Corbin and Manheimer, Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell), who represents part of Canton as well as a string of hard-hit counties along the spine of Appalachia, Buncombe County leaders Sen. Julie Mayfield (D-Buncombe) and Reps. Lindsey Prather (D-Buncombe), Eric Ager (D-Buncombe) and Rep. Jake Johnson (R-Polk), who represents all or parts of Polk, Henderson, McDowell and Rutherford Counties.
“It doesn’t matter who you are; I think what you do on day one speaks volumes about your priorities. To see Gov. Stein in WNC — not just with talk but also with action — matters,” said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, who was also in attendance. “We know the challenges regarding temporary housing. What Gov. Stein’s leadership does is cut red tape, and to think that by this time next week someone could be in temporary housing on their own property, especially as temperatures plummet, is a tremendous step forward in our recovery.”
Smathers expressed gratitude for actions taken by the General Assembly and Congress to date, but said there’s still more to be done in regard to private road and bridge repair, direct economic relief — grants, not loans — for small businesses, and cutting more red tape and regulations making it easier for people to open their homes, their businesses and access federal money coming through Raleigh.
Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek, also sworn in on Jan. 1 like Stein, issued a press release shortly after Stein’s press conference saying he intends to hold Stein’s office accountable “for every dollar that is spent in fulfillment of these orders, and to report on the effectiveness and efficiency of these orders.”
