Lawmakers, state officials clash over Helene projects pace
North Carolina emergency management officials say hundreds of infrastructure repairs are underway nearly 17 months after Hurricane Helene, but Republican lawmakers representing affected western counties are sharply criticizing what they describe as bureaucratic delays and rising costs that they say are slowing recovery.
During a recent update at the Feb. 9 GROW NC meeting, Don Campbell, chief of staff for North Carolina Emergency Management, outlined the scope of state efforts to restore access through private road and bridge programs established after the storm.
Campbell reported that more than $612,000 in reimbursements have been awarded to households that completed repair work, with additional applications under review.
“We have a significant number of additional applications in the queue that we are working through,” Campbell said, explaining that applicants must document completed work and payment before funds can be approved. “For a number of applications that we received that the work had not yet been done… they were estimates; we’ve put those on hold.”
Inspectors are deployed to verify completed projects before reimbursement is issued, a process Campbell said ensures responsible use of funds.
“We send an inspector out to the site to validate that the information and the repairs were done… to assure that we’re utilizing the dollars as we best can and extend them as far as we possibly can,” he said.
The recovery program was developed in response to Helene’s damage and required building new administrative systems and procurement strategies.
“This is not a program that existed here in the state of North Carolina… prior to Hurricane Helene,” Campbell said, noting that officials had to assemble teams and establish contracting approaches to secure vendors in a strained construction market.
According to Campbell, 3,610 repair needs have been identified statewide through interest forms, with 51 sites completed and 236 underway. Prioritization is guided by legislative direction focusing on access for emergency services and multi-residential households.
“Our prioritization… was those that did not have EMS access and those that serve multiple residential buildings,” he said.
Project complexity has also increased costs and timelines, Campbell said.
“A bridge that used to be a 10-foot bridge now is requiring a 75-foot bridge because of the span of the creek,” he told participants, explaining engineering requirements have changed significantly in some areas after the storm.
Even with progress, Campbell acknowledged current funding levels will limit completion of identified projects unless additional resources are secured.
“Without additional funding… this is the number of projects that we believe we will be able to complete with the funding that we have available,” he said, though he added officials expect those already underway to be finished in 2026.
The update came as a group of Republican state lawmakers publicly urged action by Gov. Josh Stein to accelerate rebuilding.
In a statement released in Raleigh on Feb. 18, members of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing storm-impacted districts called for reducing administrative barriers they say are slowing repairs.
The statement was issued by state Reps. Karl Gillespie, Dudley Greene, Mark Pless, Mike Clampitt, Jake Johnson, Jennifer Balkcom, and Ray Pickett.
“While the NC General Assembly has appropriated a historic amount of funds to help Western North Carolinians rebuild private roads and bridges, Governor Stein has presided over a stifling bureaucracy utterly lacking in common sense and resourcefulness,” the lawmakers said. “Overly complex bridge and road designs have slowed projects to an unacceptable pace and dramatically increased the costs of repairs and replacements. We are working to remove these barriers so Western NC can recover more quickly and more households can receive state funds.”
The legislators did not provide specific examples of projects they believe were delayed, but their criticism reflects broader political debate over recovery priorities and execution.
State officials at the meeting emphasized coordination with multiple agencies and nonprofits to address remaining needs and noted ongoing uncertainty tied to federal programs that often reimburse projects after completion. They also said additional funding requests are being pursued as the scope of remaining repairs becomes clearer.
Campbell described the inventory of projects as fluid, as homeowners seek help through multiple assistance channels.
“The numbers continue to fluctuate as individuals either jump into other programs or resolve their projects,” he said, calling the tracking database “a living document.”
Despite competing perspectives on pace and process, both state officials and lawmakers agree that restoring safe access for residents remains central to the region’s recovery. Campbell said emergency management staff continue to refine processes as the effort evolves.
“Overall, we’ve got a great program and a great set of team members that are continuing to work on this process,” he said.
Further legislative oversight and administrative updates are expected as rebuilding continues and funding decisions unfold in the months ahead.
“Lawmakers, state officials clash over Helene projects pace” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.
