By James Brierton (WCNC) and Julie Kay for WFMY News

For the first time since being formed, North Carolina’s House Select Committee on Helene Recovery met Wednesday in Raleigh.

The group is made up of lawmakers from the North Carolina House of Representatives. They met at 2 p.m. in the North Carolina General Assembly Building for their first, full meeting.

On Wednesday’s meeting agenda, lawmakers heard from:

• Matt Calabria and Jonathan Krebs from the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina known as GROW NC
• Will Ray, the director of the North Carolina Emergency Management, who is expected to speak on FEMA temporary housing
• Mark White, of the fiscal research division, who is expected to speak on the federal recovery resources

The committee is charged by Rep. John R. Bell, a Republican from District 10 near Goldsboro, and Rep. Dudley Greene, a Republican from District 85 in western North Carolina.

Rep. Pickett, a Republican representing parts of Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga counties, is the vice chair. He talked to WCNC Charlotte earlier this week about their priorities and discussions with House Speaker Destin Hall, who formed the committee as one of his first acts in the role.

“[Destin] sustained a lot of damage in his own county —  he knows that the people that represent that area need to be the ones leading the charge because that’s our home,” Pickett said.

Last year, the NCGA did pass significant relief bills, totaling more than $1 billion. The federal government also approved $100 billion for Helene relief, but Rep. Pickett said they’re still waiting to see exactly how much will be dedicated to North Carolina.

State officials provided more context on this Wednesday, outlining the gap between what they requested and what the state will see. The GROW NC speakers said the state has requested 25.7 billion in federal funds, while they are only likely to see $15.7 billion.

The real price tag is much larger.

“It’s somewhere between $55-60 billion, so it’s a lot,” he said. “The state budget last year was 33 billion for everything. So the state doesn’t have it.” 

“We would like for them to let us have a little bit more hand in rebuilding because we know what we know what we need, but the rebuilding of houses is going to be just a daunting task,” Pickett added.

During the meeting, housing recovery was listed as a major priority, along with debris removal, economic revitalization, and road/bridge repairs.

State officials provided additional information about still-unused FEMA trailers in Hickory.

When Rep. Jeff McNeely (R-84) questioned why they’ve not been delivered yet, Western North Carolina Recovery Advisor Jonathan Krebs said it’s not the right option for many of those impacted.

“People don’t want them, ” Krebs said. “We’ve made over 3,000 phone calls starting with the folks highest in need. They’re open to having a travel trailer if we’ll title it in their name and give it to them.”

Krebs said that indicates that those people right now are largely in safe, decent housing. He said the goal of the recovery efforts has been to give those impacted choices. He said securing running water and sewer is also a concern.

WCNC Charlotte reached back out to a FEMA spokesperson Wednesday, who provided this statement:

“FEMA disaster housing is meant to provide temporary housing to help survivors begin their recovery. Those range from financial rental assistance to rent a temporary home or apartment, to temporary housing units such as mobile homes and travel trailers, or direct lease, where FEMA directly leases an apartment/condo for a survivor. These options are available for up to 18 months following a disaster if there is a continuing need. Additionally, homeowners may receive financial assistance to help with expenses to repair or rebuild their homes. The goal is to provide a safe, sanitary place to live while survivors repair/rebuild their homes or find another permanent housing solution.”

The preceding article originally appeared on January 29, 2025 at WFMY’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. Photo above courtesy of James Brierton.