ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — More than $12 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants will be distributed to North Carolina communities still recovering from Hurricane Helene, according to a Sept. 9 news release from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The reimbursements will go toward vital infrastructure and community restoration projects, as well as to fortify North Carolina against future disasters, according to DHS.
The announcement comes as some western North Carolina leaders say federal funds have been slow to arrive in hard-hit communities with high-dollar recovery projects on the line.
Last week, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and Madison County Manager Rod Honeycutt told News 13 that federal reimbursements were being bottlenecked in the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security’s office, with any spending exceeding $100,000 requiring approval from the secretary…