South Raleigh News

The Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) has shared updates on the recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene and introduced a public dashboard available at WNCRecovery.nc.gov. This platform provides information on the progress of rebuilding housing, restoring infrastructure, and revitalizing the economy in the region.

Governor Josh Stein emphasized his commitment to transparency and accountability, stating, “My commitment to the people of North Carolina is this: I will bring urgency, focus, transparency, and accountability to everything my administration does as we work to rebuild.” He added that the new resource would provide regular updates and resources for residents in western North Carolina.

Since January, GROW NC has collaborated with various partners across different levels of government and nonprofit organizations to expedite recovery efforts. Key achievements include temporary housing programs serving 5,720 households and the removal of 4,753,466 cubic yards of debris from roadways. Additionally, 84% of impacted public roads have been reopened.

Interstate 40 has reopened after being closed since last September due to damage from Hurricane Helene. The N.C. Department of Transportation has stabilized lanes to allow traffic flow in both directions.

The WNC Small Business Initiative has supported economic recovery by funding 989 loans for small business owners affected by the hurricane. More grants are expected soon.

Half of all state parks and cultural sites impacted by the storm have fully reopened, with most others partially accessible to visitors.

Matt Calabria, Director of GROW NC, acknowledged ongoing challenges but reaffirmed commitment to a robust recovery process with transparency: “There is still so much work to do to help western North Carolina recover.”

Governor Stein continues advocating for additional resources from state and federal sources. In February, he requested $19 billion in federal funds for various recovery needs and is working with the legislature for state funding following his request for $1.07 billion.