The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today announced the immediate availability of $100 million in Emergency Relief funds for the North Carolina Department of Transportation to help pay for the costs of immediate emergency work resulting from Hurricane Helene flood damage.
“Working in close coordination with North Carolina, we are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Biden-Harris administration will be with North Carolina every step of the way, and today’s emergency funding to help get transportation networks back up and running safely will be followed by additional federal resources.”
“It has been devastating to witness scenes of the North Carolina families, neighbors, and communities destroyed by Helene explain what it means to have access to significant aid relief slowed or even cut off,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Kristin White. “I am proud to say that the FHWA has been working tirelessly, shoulder-to-shoulder, alongside North Carolinians to restore community connections and support emergency response disaster recovery efforts.”
As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s robust response to Hurricane Helene, USDOT is supporting response and recovery efforts in impacted communities. Secretary Buttigieg has received regular briefings from USDOT operating administrations and has communicated with Governor Roy Cooper. Additionally, this week he visited FEMA Headquarters to be briefed on the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene and the emergency response and recovery actions. He also joined Cabinet colleagues to brief President Joe Biden at the White House.
Hurricane Helene brought heavy rainfall, flooding, winds, and tornados that impacted the state during September 26-28, 2024. Numerous areas throughout the state experienced significant damage, including flash flooding, landslides, rock fall, road washouts and bridge collapses. This includes damage to I-40 at several locations.
These ER funds will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation to act more quickly to fund eligible repairs to their damaged facilities.
FHWA’s Emergency Relief program provides funding to states, territories, tribes, and Federal Land Management Agencies for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. These Emergency Relief funds, provided through the “quick release” process, are an initial installment of funds toward restoring this essential transportation link. Additional funds needed to repair damage in North Carolina will be supported by the Emergency Relief program through nationwide funding allocations.
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.
North Carolina requested and FHWA approved the quick release amount. It follows a quick release to South Carolina for Hurricane Helene damage earlier this week.