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County outlines $24M Helene spending and reimbursement path; expedited $34M debris award already received
Summary
Buncombe staff told commissioners the county has spent about $24 million related to Helene response, has an expedited FEMA award of $34 million for right-of-way cleanup, and plans additional project submissions to recover county expenses.
Matt Evans, a county staff member, presented the county’s funding and reimbursement update tied to Hurricane Helene response.
Evans said current Helene-related spending is about $24 million. He categorized spending into two buckets: approximately $19 million for emergency work (debris removal, staff overtime and emergency protective measures) and about $5 million for permanent work (county-owned buildings, service roads and parks).
Evans noted Buncombe County has 67 projects in FEMA’s grants portal: 20 projects have been submitted, seven are actively in development and 40 are placeholders submitted by an early deadline. He said the county submitted an expedited FEMA request on Oct. 24 that resulted in a $34 million award to fund right-of-way debris cleanup; that scope was limited to right-of-way work and the county spent roughly $1.3 million before the USACE was engaged.
On insurance and reimbursements, Evans said the county is pursuing FEMA Public Assistance for emergency and permanent work and is pursuing applicable insurance proceeds for buildings, contents and vehicles. He said of the $5 million in permanent-work spending to date, the county expects insurance to cover about $3.6 million.
Evans described “landsides” (landslide stabilization) projects in pilot status with FEMA and North Carolina Emergency Management. He said two pilot engineering projects were submitted (Old Landfill/McCormick and Grovemont in Swannanoa) and FEMA indicated it may expand funding beyond engineering if the initial results justify it. He said FEMA will advance smaller amounts (projects under $1 million) up front in some cases.
Evans listed specific additional county reimbursement requests the team expects to submit, including about $4.2 million in private-property debris removal costs, roughly $900,000 for flood damage assessments, about $480,000 for broadband/connectivity work, approximately $1.3 million in EOC costs (through March) and roughly $4 million in staff overtime and benefits. He said he expects to submit about $11 million more by late July to FEMA to pay the county back for money the county has already spent.
Commissioners asked about cash-flow and reimbursement timing. County staff said teams are working weekly with FEMA and NC Emergency Management and using consultants to maximize reimbursement opportunities, while acknowledging the process remains fluid.
