Repair vehicles from the North Carolina Department of Transportation repair a partially cratered road in western North Carolina amid the recovery from Hurricane Helene. (Photo: NCDOT)
A bipartisan group of North Carolina federal lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday aimed at rebuilding western North Carolina’s private infrastructure through reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The bill, entitled the “Restoring Access to Mountain Homes Act,” would allow the state, local, and tribal governments of North Carolina to be reimbursed for repairs to private roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Helene that act as the only routes to homes and vital community services.
More than 8,000 private roads and bridges in western North Carolina experienced significant damage from Hurricane Helene, according to Gov. Josh Stein’s office, cutting off access for thousands of rural residents. Such routes make up close to 50% of all roads in the western part of the state, and are often the only means of access for emergency services, mail delivery, school buses, and residents themselves.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is already hard at work repairing these roads and bridges. Among Stein’s first executive orders was a directive to establish emergency assistance funds for such repairs and to waive some regulatory requirements to procure more repair services and expedite the inspection process.
The new bill was introduced by 11th District Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of Flat Rock and is being co-led by Rep. Don Davis (D-NC1) and Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC14), while GOP Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis are pushing a companion effort in the Senate. It comes as the Trump administration questions the role of FEMA in disaster recovery and state officials express fears about the potential loss of federal funding should President Donald Trump succeed in pausing grant and loan programs.
“Every disaster response official I’ve heard from agrees on one thing: Hurricane Helene destroyed the greatest number of private roads and bridges they’ve ever seen in one disaster,” Edwards said in a statement. “Without additional help from the federal government, some of these roads may never be repaired, so the federal support provided by this bill is critical to making sure WNC communities can finally rebuild.”
State, local, or tribal officials would first need to inspect the damage and obtain permission to conduct the repairs, according to the bill. They would also be required to document all costs in accordance with FEMA requirements and keep the roads open for disaster recovery services during the repair process.
“The Restoring Access to Mountain Homes Act will provide local governments and the NC Department of Transportation the authority to repair essential infrastructure and receive reimbursement for those efforts, helping to ensure a smoother return to safety, stability, and peace of mind for those who depend on these vital connections to get to work, school, and go about their daily lives,” Davis said. “We must ensure a timely and effective recovery for western NC.”
Without the state and federal measures, homeowners seeking road repairs would need to apply to FEMA directly for individual assistance, with the expectation that they would procure the repair services themselves, according to an agency fact sheet from October. That assistance is capped at $42,500 per applicant, which the lawmakers said is insufficient for many of the larger private infrastructure repairs that are needed.