Emergency funds come on top of $144 million sent to North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina, to quickly repair and reopen hurricane-damaged infrastructure
WASHINGTON – As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing and long-term support for communities affected by Hurricane Helene, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced the immediate availability of $43.1 million in Emergency Relief (ER) funds provided through the “quick release” process for use by the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service.
The funding will be used for critical repair work in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The funding also includes repairs to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, known as “America’s Favorite Drive” and one of the most visited national parks in the nation. According to a National Park Service report, in 2023 over 16.7 million visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway spent $1.4 billion, supporting more than 19,000 jobs in North Carolina and Virginia, creating a cumulative benefit to the local economy of over $1.8 billion.
“The damage caused by Hurricane Helene’s heavy rains, strong winds, and flooding is so extensive that emergency vehicles and utility crews cannot make their way into the national forests and national parks to make essential repairs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The emergency funding we’re sending will help the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service make repairs to vital transportation networks in four impacted states where roads are currently impassable and reopen these roadways as quickly as possible.”
“The Federal Highway Administration is working closely with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service to ensure the roads and bridges in our nation’s parks and forests are quickly rebuilt and repaired so that Americans can make use of these natural resources and communities can benefit from the economic development these amenities provide,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Kristin White.
In late September, Hurricane Helene brought heavy rainfall, flooding, and strong winds, severely damaging roads in the national forests and parks in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Areas throughout the region, experienced significant landslides and destruction, making it difficult for emergency vehicles and utility crews to travel into and within these lands to make essential repairs.
Of the requested $43.1 million in emergency relief funds, $18.1 million will be used by the U.S. Forest Service to re-open and re-establish the roads and bridges in the national forests of North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Another $25 million will be distributed to the National Park Service for emergency repairs to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Parts of the North Carolina section of the Parkway have reopened, but significant parts remain closed. This funding will assist in the reopening of damaged sections helping to restore tourism.
Below is a breakdown of the Emergency Relief funding requests:
$5.1 million for emergency repairs in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests in North Carolina
$1.25 million in emergency repairs in Francis Marion and Sumter national forests in South Carolina
$5.25 million for emergency repairs in Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee
$6.4 million for emergency repairs in George Washington and Jefferson national forests in Virginia
$25 million to the National Park Service for emergency repairs to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
FHWA’s Emergency Relief funds, provided via “quick release” are an initial installment of funds toward restoring essential transportation links to states, territories, tribes, and federal land management agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. These funds will help the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service take on critical eligible repair work that includes removing downed trees, making temporary roadway repairs, stabilizing landslides, and removing overhead hazards and other debris from roadways and bridges to provide safe travel along various routes.
Additional funds to repair the damage across these four states, currently estimated to be more than $1 billion, will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through nationwide funding allocations. USDOT will continue to work closely with the states and impacted communities at every step along the path to recovery.
The FHWA Emergency Relief program complements Bipartisan Infrastructure Law programs and provisions by encouraging agencies to identify and implement measures to incorporate resilience in the design, restoration, and repair of damaged infrastructure, to better withstand future damage from climate change and future weather events.