A new Disaster Relief bill was released on May 21, 2025 – Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part II – in the House Appropriations Committee the morning of May 21, 2025. The full title is “An act to provide additional appropriations and extend regulatory flexibility for communities and citizens impacted by Hurricane Helene and Wildfires.” This bill is shorter than previous relief bills so far and includes the wildfires that have occurred in Western North Carolina, naming the State of Emergency declared by Governor Josh Stein on March 26, 2025 for said wildfires.
The bill takes $500 Million in funds from NC Innovation and allocates it to the Hurricane Helene Disaster Recovery Fund.
The bill directs $65.35 Million in 2025-2026 from unused and underutilized funds to go towards the Helene Fund, allocated as follows:
- $45M to The Department of Environmental Quality
- $12.5M to The Department of Public Instruction for lost compensation in school closures
- $5M to UNC System Offices for repairs
- $2.25M for NC Board of Elections and the impacts of 2024 Election adjustments
$464,750,000 Million from the Helene Fund is allocated as follows:
- $55M for Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- $60M for the Department of Commerce and the Helene Business Recovery Grant Program
- $10M Department of Environmental Quality for Dam Safety
- $12.5M for the Department of Natural & Cultural resources
- $10M for the Department of Transportation
- $33M Department of Public Instruction
- $165M to North Carolina Emergency Management
- $70M to provide the State match for federal disaster assistance programs for State agencies and units of local governments.
- $30M for the Private Road and Bridge Repair Program
- $25M for the Aerial Asset Accessibility Grant Program
- $25M for the Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund for the Hurricane Helene Flood Mitigation Grant Program
- $20M to disburse grants to member organizations of Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs) who are actively involved in ongoing repair and reconstruction projects.
- $10M to the Housing Finance Agency for the repair and preservation of existing rental units in counties in the affected areas with a population of 300,000 or fewer based on the 2023 Certified Count Population Estimates from the State Demographer.
- $5M to the North Carolina Community College System
- $76.25M to the Office of State Budget & Management
- $18M to the Office of the State Fire Marshal
- $6M to the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina schools in the Western part of the state.
- $1M to the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton
The bill also reallocates proceeds from railroad dividend proceeds to the Helene Fund to be used by the Department of Transportation, Rail Division for the repair of rail infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Helene.
The bill creates the following programs:
- The Hurricane Helene Economic Recovery Grant Program to be administered by the Department of Commerce
- The Hurricane Helene Local Government Capital Grant Program
- The Hurricane Helene Flood Mitigation Grant Program
- The Farm Infrastructure Disaster Recovery Program
- The Aerial Asset Accessibility Grant Program
- The Dam Safety Grant Fund
The General Assembly also moved to appropriate $685,613,000 in federal disaster funding in this act for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
They are expected to vote on it as soon as today – Thursday May 22, 2025.
