Stein requests $891M for ongoing Helene relief

On Monday, Gov. Josh Stein put forward a supplemental budget request, asking lawmakers for an additional $891 million to address Hurricane Helene.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signs a $528 million Helene recovery bill on March 19, 2025.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein released a proposal on Monday to set aside an additional $891 million to help Western North Carolina in its continued efforts to recover from Hurricane Helene.

The request comes exactly two months after Stein signed a $528 million bill, bringing the state’s total Helene spending to date to $1.6 billion, which includes more than $200 million in reallocations. At the time, Stein had said he’s put forward a supplemental request in a couple weeks.

Two months later, Stein’s latest spending proposal includes $260 million to bolster the region’s economy, $239 million for infrastructure, $152 million for federal matches and unmet needs, $113 million for housing, rent and utility assistance, $105 million for land rehabilitation and disaster prevention and more than $20 million for food banks and $2.5 million for community colleges impacted by declining enrollments.

“I thank the General Assembly for what it has done to date, but now is not the time for us to take the foot off the gas,” Stein said in a news conference. “We have to continue to invest in western North Carolina so that it can come back stronger than ever and sooner the better.”