North Raleigh Today

North Carolinians have a limited time to provide input on the state's proposed Action Plan for a $1.4 billion federal disaster recovery grant aimed at western North Carolina. The 30-day public comment period concludes at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 20.

"I encourage everyone, especially those directly impacted by Hurricane Helene, to read our proposal for these critical federal funds and provide suggestions for the best way forward," stated North Carolina Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. "Our team at the Commerce Department is moving as quickly as possible to complete the necessary steps to begin receiving the federal relief money we’ve been promised."

Submitting a final Action Plan to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development agency (HUD) is essential for obtaining funds from a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) award announced in January. The state's proposal targets unmet hurricane recovery needs in western North Carolina, with an emphasis on housing and economic revitalization. HUD can take up to 45 days to approve the plan and finalize the grant once submitted.

Governor Josh Stein's Executive Order 3 established a new division within the Commerce Department to manage the HUD CDBG-DR program for western North Carolina. Deputy Secretary Stephanie McGarrah leads this Division of Community Revitalization, which developed the Action Plan proposal and conducted a comprehensive engagement program that included public meetings in six locations across western North Carolina.

"We’ve learned so much from the many people and organizations that have taken time to offer their suggestions, and I’m grateful for everyone’s participation so far," McGarrah expressed. "We know the road to full recovery will be a long journey, but the Department of Commerce and my team will work hard every day to put the resources available to us to the best use possible."

CDBG-DR grants focus on longer-term rebuilding efforts rather than immediate shelter needs and are used after other recovery sources like private insurance have been exhausted. These grants address unmet needs in housing, infrastructure, and economic revitalization. The Helene Action Plan proposes allocating most funds towards housing recovery for low- and moderate-income residents, with additional funds earmarked for infrastructure rebuilding and economic support.

The pending HUD CDBG-DR grant designated for North Carolina stands at $1.4 billion, awaiting federal approval of the state’s Action Plan. Despite ongoing damage assessments, this amount is expected to fall short of estimated unmet housing needs. Separately, Asheville has received a direct allocation of $225 million through another HUD CDBG-DR grant.

Residents can access the state’s Action Plan draft online at commerce.nc.gov/recovery until Thursday, March 20, when several options remain open for submitting comments about the proposed plan:

- Online at commerce.nc.gov/recovery-comments

- By mail: North Carolina Department of Commerce, 4301 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4301; Attention: Helene Action Plan

- By fax: (919) 715-0096

- By email: helene.recovery@commerce.nc.gov

Further information about N.C. Commerce’s new Division of Community Revitalization is available online at commerce.nc.gov/recovery.