RALEIGH, N.C. (WBTV) – The General Assembly of North Carolina has approved The Disaster Recovery Act of 2024 – Part II, allocating $604,150,000 to relief efforts across the state from Hurricane Helene. The approval came Friday, Oct. 25 – just one day after Governor Roy Cooper proposed $3.9 billion in funding.
[North Carolina Governor Cooper signs second disaster relief bill into law]
The funds will be allocated to the following areas:
- Education: $101,750,000
- Health and human services: $71,400,000
- Agriculture, natural, and economic resources: $195,000,000
- Justice and public safety: $130,000,000
- General government: $106,000,000
Earlier in the month, legislators wrapped up an initial relief package of about $273 million.
Initial damage estimates, Cooper said, are about $53 billion — three times as much as Hurricane Florence in 2018, making that estimate the largest in state history.
Helene reached the Carolinas on Sept. 27, killing 99 people as of Oct. 29, closing hundreds of roads, and wiping out power and water for more than a million people.
In addition to being the most expensive hurricane in the state’s history, it’s also been declared the deadliest.
“Helene is the deadliest and most damaging storm ever to hit North Carolina,“ said Governor Cooper during the press conference on Oct. 23. “This storm left a trail of destruction in our beautiful mountains that we will not soon forget, but I know the people of Western North Carolina are determined to build back better than ever. These initial funds are a good start, but the staggering amount of damage shows we are very much on the front end of this recovery effort.”
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