By Jackie Pascale for WXII NBC News 12

Five months since Hurricane Helene swept through the U.S., bringing deadly flooding and devastating communities, recovery is happening day by day.

Western North Carolina residents and the volunteers helping them both reiterated being disappointed by the government response so far, especially citing the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“I’d like to see more military crews, bigger equipment, just more of a response,” said Theresa Bane, who’s been volunteering her time and money to help veterans and people with disabilities since the storm first hit. “They really want to donate money. That’s great. It does nobody any good. Well, they need supplies. They need immediate supplies now.”

According to North Carolina’s Office of State Budget and Management, Helene had a $59.6 billion impact, between direct and indirect damages, economic losses and newly needed strengthening and mitigation. About $1.1 billion has been appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly for Helene relief and recovery, along with $1 billion in federal direct assistance and grants. 

While more money is on its way to being approved by the North Carolina Legislature, hundreds of millions of dollars remain unspent from what’s already been allocated to this effort. Dozens of projects still have zero expenditures, according to the latest report from the Office of State Budget and Management.

12 Investigates asked the office why some money wasn’t being spent and was referred to the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, or “Grow NC.” Its director and director of communications did not respond as of this report.

When the same question was presented to the state treasurer, his office said it’s only involved in the Cashflow Loan Program, funded through the bill approved by the General Assembly in late December. The $100 million loan program for cities, counties and towns has disbursed nearly $73,500,000 as of Feb. 21, and some already have their allocations in hand. It notes a portion is being held because some local governments experienced hurricane loss and damage that makes completing the necessary documentation difficult, on top of recent winter storm closures.

As governments try to stabilize, more than 2,000 families are still living in hotels, motels or temporary housing units as of this week, according to new data from FEMA. It said more than 175,000 homes reported damages, while 4,000 said their home was destroyed.

State Representative for District 85 Dudley Greene said his home flooded, with about four feet of water inside at one point. He represents Avery Mitchell, Yancey and most of McDowell counties. From his experience on the ground and hearing from constituents, he understands their frustrations with FEMA’s response.

“It’s really it’s hard to get an understanding of of what is available and how to go about applying for it. And if you are turned down, why were you turned down?” Greene said. “It almost seemed like the people who were there dealing with the public were just simply there to fill out an application.”

12 Investigates spoke with a couple in Burnsville who went to their in-person representative more than six times to get their property evaluated for damage after Helene. They said they were told a representative would come to their house within 7-10 days, but no one ever came.

Their road also needed major repairs. As of Jan. 17, more than 200 roads remain closed in Western North Carolina. Fixing roads and bridges, and restoring access to private land, is one of the top priorities of House Bill 47. It totals about $500 million and just passed the House unanimously. 

Greene said he thinks a lot of the money should be given to volunteer organizations already on the ground, to have locals handle local issues.

“They’ve proved their capabilities,” he said. “I think we’ll get it done not only quicker, but cheaper probably.”

The House bill is less than half of what North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein requested from the legislature. It also comes as President Donald Trump promises to get Western North Carolina “the resources you need the support you deserve.” 

Trump’s been openly critical of FEMA’s response in the initial aftermath of Helene. He said he’s working closely with people like U.S. congresswoman Virginia Foxx, who represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, to get things done. She is also on a new FEMA oversight council.

When asked what changes she would like to see within FEMA, Foxx issued this statement:

“My position on FEMA under the Biden administration is crystal clear: the agency failed western North Carolina on every existing metric. In contrast, under President Trump, we’ve seen real leadership and an expeditious response to recovery efforts. I’m part of the president’s FEMA Advisory Council, and we, alongside the president and many others, remain engaged and are working hard to address every impediment caused by the previous administration’s incompetence. To those who have been impacted, I say this with the utmost seriousness: you will not be left behind.”

12 Investigates also called and emailed FEMA’s Region Four leaders, who oversee North Carolina, to discuss their response and future in Western North Carolina. We only received a statement from a senior Department of Homeland Security official, which said:

“Emergency management is best led by local authorities. DHS stands ready to help when a state needs, requests, and declares an emergency.” 

Moving forward

FEMA said it provided $51.9 million in disaster unemployment benefits to applicants. But business owners like Jenica Grooms, who owns Dark City Customs in Swannanoa, wants to get back to work. Helene washed away most of their inventory and is still knocking out power on their property.

“We were a fully functioning business for 18 years, and we have been denied every kind of permit. SBA loans. Insurance has completely denied everything,” Grooms said. “There’s anger. There’s sadness.”

The January report from the Office of State Budget and Management said the Small Business Administration has approved loans totaling $202.9 million and paid out $56.9 million. More than 15,000 applications have been submitted, and the SBA is still accepting loan applications. 

Go to sba.gov/disaster to see the types of disaster assistance available for homeowners, renters, nonprofits, and businesses of all sizes affected by Hurricane Helene. 

You can ask for Rental Assistance from FEMA by calling 800-621-3362 or visiting a Disaster Recovery Center.

The preceding article originally appeared on February 27, 2025 at WXII NBC News 12’s website and is made available here for educational purposes only. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Any views or opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Carolina Leadership Coalition. Picture above of Asheville’s River Arts District by Melissa Sue Gerrits for the Carolina Public Press.