RALEIGH — The governor of Carolina of the North, Roy Cooper, on Friday approved more than $600 million in disaster relief funds for counties affected by the hurricane Helene, after legislators approved the project a day earlier.
It is the second aid package for the recovery of western North Carolina which the General Assembly approves after authorizing a $273 million project earlier this month. It seeks to address what the governor’s office has said was $53 billion in damage and recovery needs in the region following Helene.
“Western North Carolina needs significant investments to fully recover from the worst storm our state has ever faced,” Cooper said in a statement Friday. “Legislators have taken a small step here and should follow up with a more comprehensive package to help families, businesses and communities build back stronger.”
Helene caused widespread devastation in western North Carolina, causing 1,400 landslides and damaging more than 160 water and sewer systems, according to authorities. It also disrupted transportation networks across the region by damaging at least 9,650 kilometers (6,000 miles) of roads and more than 1,000 bridges and culverts.
There were 98 deaths reported in North Carolina due to the storm, according to state officials.
The law includes $50 million for loans to small businesses, $100 million in loans for local governments to use for water repairs and $5 million to fund mental health resources for public school students.
“The assessment of what needs to be done is still in progress,” Senate Leader Phil Berger told reporters Thursday. “What we have done is deploy an appropriate amount of resources at this time to deal with some of the more immediate things.”
FUENTE: With AP information
