This week, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Reid Wilson announced that DEQ has now awarded more than $1B toward water infrastructure and resilience projects in western North Carolina, including investments through the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds. Since Hurricane Helene struck, 98% of all water systems that were damaged have been restored, but over $758M remains in unmet needs for repair and resilience measures.
“It’s an important milestone that DEQ has awarded over $1B for Helene recovery, but in some ways it’s just the beginning,” said Secretary Wilson. “In the years ahead, we will continue to work hand-in-hand with local governments and nonprofits to complete these projects as quickly as possible so that our mountain communities build back stronger and are more resilient to future disasters.”
The state’s most recent budget appropriates more than $700M to support Hurricane Helene recovery, including $20M to repair dams and $1M for mapping landslide risks. As the lead agency for resilience, DEQ is advancing programs to help communities recover from and prepare for more frequent and severe weather, including its Flood Resiliency Blueprint – data-driven planning and funding targeted projects that reduce flood risk and support long-term community resilience across North Carolina. The state is focused on interagency coordination, including a new effort to update the 2020 North Carolina Risk and Resilience Plan.
