NC Governor Josh Stein Discusses $270 Million Investment in Western NC Water Systems Post-Hurricane Helen

Hurricane Helen's Impact and Recovery Efforts

• 🌀 Hurricane Helen caused significant damage to critical infrastructure across Western North Carolina, including wastewater treatment centers and water systems.
• 💧 Many towns experienced prolonged periods without clean water, relying on bottled water donations.
• 👏 Despite the devastation, communities and state agencies have worked with urgency and bipartisan cooperation to aid recovery.

State Investment in Water Infrastructure

• 💰 The state is awarding $270 million to 26 counties, towns, and water authorities to strengthen 58 water systems.
• ⚡ North Carolina was the first state impacted by Hurricane Helen to disburse EPA disaster funds for water systems.
• 🛠️ The funding requires projects to be built more resilient to future flooding, not just restored to their previous state.

Rebuilding for Resilience

• 🌊 The focus is on rebuilding systems to withstand future storms, acknowledging that multiple "100-year storms" have occurred in recent years.
• 💡 Projects like the one in Old Fort exemplify the incorporation of resilience into recovery work.
• 📊 The Division of Water Infrastructure has announced over $850 million in investments statewide for drinking and wastewater systems this year.

Federal Funding and FEMA Reimbursement Challenges

• 💵 While the state has received over $6 billion in federal funds, this is only about 11% of the estimated $60 billion in damages.
• ⏳ FEMA reimbursements for local government expenditures have been extremely slow, with an added layer of bureaucratic review by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
• 📉 The state is advocating for increased federal aid and faster reimbursement processes to support recovery efforts.

Old Fort Specifics and Future Outlook

• 🏘️ Old Fort is receiving $10 million for drinking water system upgrades and $5 million for sewer system upgrades, along with a bridge loan.
• ⏳ These projects are expected to take years to complete but will result in one of the best water and sewer systems in Western North Carolina.
• 🗺️ The state offers a "Flood Resiliency Blueprint" tool for local governments to identify priority projects for resilience investments.