Old North News

North Carolinians have a limited time to provide input on the state's proposed Action Plan for a $1.4 billion federal disaster recovery grant intended for western North Carolina. The public comment period is set to close at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 20.

"I encourage everyone, especially those directly impacted by Hurricane Helene, to read our proposal for these critical federal funds and provide suggestions for the best way forward," said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. "Our team at the Commerce Department is moving as quickly as possible to complete the necessary steps to begin receiving the federal relief money we’ve been promised."

Submitting a final Action Plan to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development agency (HUD) is essential for obtaining federal funds from a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) award announced in January. The proposal targets unmet hurricane recovery needs in western North Carolina, focusing on housing and economic revitalization. HUD can take up to 45 days to approve the plan once submitted.

Governor Josh Stein established a new division within the Commerce Department through Executive Order 3 to manage the HUD CDBG-DR program for western North Carolina. The Division of Community Revitalization, led by Deputy Secretary Stephanie McGarrah, developed the Action Plan proposal and conducted an engagement program that included public meetings in six locations across western North Carolina.

"We’ve learned so much from the many people and organizations that have taken time to offer their suggestions, and I’m grateful for everyone’s participation so far," said McGarrah. "We know the road to full recovery will be a long journey, but the Department of Commerce and my team will work hard every day to put the resources available to us to the best use possible."

CDBG-DR grants focus on long-term rebuilding rather than immediate shelter needs and are used after other recovery sources have been exhausted. These grants address unmet needs in housing, infrastructure, and economic revitalization. The Helene Action Plan allocates most funds toward housing recovery for low and moderate-income residents, with additional support for infrastructure rebuilding and small businesses.

The pending HUD CDBG-DR grant for North Carolina stands at $1.4 billion but awaits federal approval of the state's Action Plan. Although damage assessments continue, this amount is expected to fall short of estimated unmet housing needs. Additionally, Asheville has been earmarked $225 million directly through a separate HUD CDBG-DR grant.

The draft of North Carolina's Action Plan is available online at commerce.nc.gov/recovery.

Comments can be submitted until Thursday via several methods:

- Online: commerce.nc.gov/recovery-comments

- Mail: North Carolina Department of Commerce, 4301 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4301 (Attention: Helene Action Plan)

- Fax: (919) 715-0096

- Email: helene.recovery@commerce.nc.gov

More information about N.C. Commerce’s Division of Community Revitalization can be found online at commerce.nc.gov/recovery.