After months of mountain counties begging Washington to hurry up, Gov. Josh Stein says nearly $70 million in long-awaited FEMA reimbursements are finally headed to western North Carolina.
On March 4, 2026, Stein announced that local governments in Avery, Buncombe and Yancey counties will get back close to $70 million they fronted after Hurricane Helene. The money is meant to backfill what counties already spent on debris removal, emergency protective measures and road repairs to keep basic services running in the storm’s aftermath.
County leaders in the High Country have spent months warning that those upfront costs were draining reserves and forcing tough budget choices while they waited for federal repayment…