ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — North Carolina’s newly enacted state budget directs hundreds of millions of dollars toward Tropical Storm Helene recovery, infrastructure repairs, housing assistance and economic revitalization efforts across Western North Carolina.
The 2026-27 budget, approved after more than a year of delays and negotiations, includes more than $700 million in Helene-related recovery investments aimed at helping communities rebuild after the September 2024 storm.
The package includes state funding to match federal disaster programs, repair damaged infrastructure, assist displaced residents, support volunteer fire departments and improve long-term flood and landslide planning…