RALEIGH, N.C. (CN) — Initial estimates of hurricane damage in North Carolina come to at least $53.6 billion, as the state begins to evaluate the cost to meet needs, repair damage and recover from a lack of tourism revenue.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper proposed nearly $4 billion in additional state funds Wednesday, as lawmakers prepare to allocate additional disaster funding to people in western hurricane-hit counties.
“Natural disasters are hard to compare. A life lost, a business destroyed, a home full of memories washed away. No matter where it is, even if it’s just one, it’s always a tragedy,” said Cooper at a Wednesday press conference. “But it is no exaggeration to describe Helene as the deadliest and most damaging storm ever to hit North Carolina.”
Lawmakers passed $273 million in funding earlier in the month, in what they said was a first step in meeting needs for impacted areas, and are scheduled to meet on Thursday, October 23, to address additional needs before the Nov. 5 elections.
The state estimates over $40 billion in damage, and nearly $8 billion in indirect costs, such as a lack of revenue. Another nearly $5 billion will need to be invested in strengthening infrastructure and mitigating risks for future natural disasters.
Estimated damages are triple that of Hurricane Florence, which hit the southern part of the state in 2018. Also included in Cooper’s proposed package is over $420 million in aid for recovery from both Florence and Hurricane Matthew, which flooded the state in 2016.
Western North Carolina was heavily hit by Hurricane Helene, which devastated mountainous areas not prepared to face flooding in late September. FEMA has declared over 39 counties disaster-affected, after over 30 inches of rain fell, resulting in over a thousand landslides and 96 local casualties. Nearly 30 people are still missing in the state.
Catastrophic damage resulted in at least 6,000 miles of roads and over 1,000 roads being damaged, Kristin Walker, the state budget director, said Wednesday. Over 150 water and sewer systems were damaged, leaving communities facing major rebuilding challenges and loss of tourism income.
“This storm hit at the worst time in the mountains, right at the peak of tourist season, and there will be multi-year economic damages due to that,” said Walker at the press conference.
Many of the impacted counties were far above sea level — Asheville, in one of the harder hit counties, is over 2,000 feet above sea level — and the majority of residents didn’t have flood insurance.
In North Carolina, 92.5% of homes with FEMA-verified flood damage didn’t have flood insurance. The state is hoping to help minimize the burden on homeowners as private insurers are only expected to cover 12% of estimated damages.
These low coverage rates, Walker said, may impact what assistance the state and federal government is willing to contribute.
Many communities are still fighting to get clean water and wastewater management back up, and reopen schools.
Among them is Mitchell County, which lost its wastewater treatment facility in Helene. Senator Ralph Hise, who represents Mitchell County, has said that the facility is unsalvageable, and that it will be at least a four year process to create a new one.
Lacking a detailed restoration timeline, residents are relying on mobile toilet services and being told not to flush their toilets, to prevent wastewater from ending up in rivers.
There are over 1,000 K-12 schools that fall within the 39 counties impacted by Helene, and 23 community colleges. Several school buildings were destroyed and are unusable, but damage to road and water systems has been the main barrier impacting the ability to reopen.
82 public schools still remain closed, along with three colleges in the western part of the state, that have more than 900,000 students living in impacted areas.
The state has a handful of major priorities right now: providing housing, fixing damage to utilities and natural resources, repairing roads and bridges, helping impacted businesses and restoring agriculture.
There are over 18,000 farms in disaster-declared regions, and federal insurance only covers between 5-10% of damage, the state reports. Farmers had begun collecting crops when the storm hit, and many lost their harvest. Specialty crops such as apple orchards or blueberry farms may take several years to regrow.
Lawmakers wrote to Congress Monday, requesting federal funds to rebuild infrastructure and provide agricultural grants for farmers.
Indirect losses aren’t expected to be recovered, Walker said, and the state is only expecting to get about $14 billion in federal funding. Cooper’s proposed $3.9 billion in funding would come from state savings and inflation reserves, among other funds.
“One thing is certain, no matter who is footing the bill — and especially if it’s the taxpayers — we need to ensure that homes, businesses, water systems and roads are rebuilt stronger to withstand future storms,” said Cooper.