NC Gov. Josh Stein asks Congress for $10 billion for Helene relief

Ronni Butts, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Jun 10, 2026

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North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein visited Congress to ask for billions more in Helene relief funding on Wednesday.

The storm, which caused $60 billion in damage in 2024, has left the state to slowly pick up the pieces as federal and state funding has come in waves.

Stein is requesting about $10.15 billion from Congress, $3 billion less than his request last September, according to a letter Stein sent to members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation. The funding would be in addition to previous federal and state dollars, including a recent flow of more than $200 million to the state from FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to support reimbursements and homeowners’ buyouts, Stein wrote on X.

Stein met with members of the state’s congressional delegation. He was also joined by state Sen. Kevin Corbin, a Republican from a district at the western tip of the state that was heavily damaged by the storm. The Democratic governor met on a previous trip to Washington with Karen Evans, then the acting FEMA administrator.

“North Carolina is grateful for every dollar the federal government has put toward Hurricane Helene recovery, and we’re putting those dollars to work,” Stein said in a press release. “The people of western North Carolina are working hard on their recovery. Their state and federal government need to do their parts.”

Stein’s visit to Capitol Hill, first reported by Spectrum News 1, could bring the state more funding to improve infrastructure, local governments, home repair and water treatment in Western North Carolina.

Federal funding has covered just around 14% of estimated recovery costs, Stein wrote in his letter, based on calculations from the end of March. Helene is North Carolina’s most costly storm, making it impossible for the state to fund relief efforts alone. Though the region has received relief funds from the state, federal government and philanthropic organizations, there is still a long road to a full recovery.

Funding from Congress would especially benefit repairs of damaged infrastructure like local facilities and roads, dams and stream banks, which are ineligible to receive public assistance grants from FEMA.

In his letter, Stein emphasized the need for housing repairs and water treatment. Though 1,000 homes have been fixed and upwards of 2,800 homes are undergoing repairs, about 56,000 damaged homes remain untouched since the storm.

The state is also making some progress on water treatment in the region. The State Water Infrastructure Authority and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality announced Wednesday that they have awarded funding to state and federal drinking and waste water systems affected by Helene.

In March, Stein also called on the state legislature to provide more than $790 million in funding. A large portion of the proposed funds would allow North Carolina to tap into federal funds that can only be accessed through matching funds from the state, The News & Observer previously reported

Several other federal recovery programs that would help Western North Carolina require matching funds from the state, Stein has said.

The legislature has not proposed a new Helene funding bill since Stein’s latest request.

The remnants of Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, a mountainous region that does not typically face hurricanes, in 2024. The storm swept through homes, schools and businesses, killing more than 100 people and leaving years’ worth of repairs.

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