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Grow and See office reports recovery funding, debris and private-road reimbursement details
Summary
The governor's Grow and See recovery office updated Buncombe County commissioners on federal, state and philanthropic recovery funding, debris-removal totals, and private road and bridge reimbursement rules; officials said some federal reimbursements remain pending and outlined documentation required for private-road reimbursement claims.
Drew Christie of Grow and See, the governor's recovery office for Western North Carolina, briefed Buncombe County commissioners on regional recovery milestones, funding allocations and outstanding federal reimbursements.
Christie said nearly $500 million in FEMA individual assistance has been disbursed to Western North Carolina residents and that substantial debris removal and infrastructure work is complete. He reported federal and state funding actions including the state legislature's June allocation of $575 million in new Helene recovery funds (adding to earlier allocations) and a total state allocation the briefing cited as roughly $1.5 billion for Helene recovery when combined with prior funding.
On debris and infrastructure, Christie said large volumes of debris have been removed across the region and that private-roads-and-bridges programs have drawn thousands of applications. He said more than 5,000 applications have been submitted for private roads and bridge assistance (the transcript cited about 5,400 applications) and that reimbursement applications will require receipts for any work the resident paid for; work completed entirely by a philanthropic organization would not be eligible for reimbursement under the program. The state's new-construction private-road-and-bridge application phase was due Aug. 31; a separate $25 million reimbursement phase was scheduled to open in early September (dates per the briefing).
Christie also summarized federal funding streams: an EPA/NC DEQ allocation of approximately $685 million for disaster water and sewer projects; nearly $400 million in SBA loans offered; EDA announced $1.45 billion in economic recovery funds (national allocation); and the state was awaiting federal public-assistance money that Christie said was being held at the federal approval level, delaying reimbursements to local governments. He said the state is actively advocating to federal officials and working with the congressional delegation to release those funds.
Christie said the state's recovery team is coordinating with county staff and with AB Tech and others on workforce and skilled-labor capacity to support the upcoming rebuild work and that the EDA and other federal programs will be competitive at the national level.
Commissioners asked for documentation details for reimbursement eligibility for private roads and bridges; Christie said residents should retain receipts for every construction expense and that philanthropic-funded repairs would not qualify for reimbursement. He said the Department of Public Safety was prioritizing projects for health-and-safety and emergency access.
The update was informational; no county action was recorded.
