RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state lawmakers signed off on a measure Thursday to provide over $600 million more toward Hurricane Helene recovery and relief and also directed some storm-affected counties to open more ballot sites to address crowds and congestion during the early voting period.
In a one-day session, the Republican-controlled legislature unveiled and approved two measures related to the catastrophic flooding and damage, which state officials say resulted in 97 deaths. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration said Wednesday that Helene likely caused at least a record $53 billion in damages and recovery needs in western North Carolina.
Two weeks ago, the General Assembly approved what was described as a preliminary $273 million relief package, with legislative leaders promising that much more would follow in the coming months. The initial relief cash was designed largely to meet the state’s matching share to meet federal requirements for disaster assistance programs.
Cooper on Wednesday offered his own wide-ranging storm relief and mitigation request of $3.9 billion, with over $1 billion alone in grants to businesses, farmers and utility repairs. Thursday’s relief bill doesn’t address most of his recommendations. GOP leaders said they just received the governor’s proposal earlier in the week and would consider it more closely in the weeks ahead. The legislature returns for more work on Nov. 19.
“The assessment of what needs to be done is still in progress,” Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters. “What we’ve done is deploy an adequate amount of resources at this time to deal with some of the more immediate things that have some time sensitivity.”
The spending measure approved unanimously takes $604 million more from the state’s nearly $4.5 billion “rainy day” savings reserve and moves it to the Helene relief fund. Legislators also located $77 million from other funds and reserves for other items.
The relief bill now heading to Cooper’s desk includes $50 million in small business loans in affected areas, $100 million in loans for local governments for emergency water and wastewater system repairs, and $5 million more to address mental health needs of public school students and their families in the region.
The state also located other funds to provide tuition grants for college students affected by the storm, including assistance for students enrolled for the spring semester at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Some mountain-area Democrats said the relief measure doesn’t go far enough and pleaded for more help more quickly. Businesses already weighed down by loans need grants now to survive, said Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield of Buncombe County. Mayfield said an eviction moratorium or massive rental assistance also is needed to prevent workers from losing their housing, which would cause them to leave the area.