The North Carolina House pushed forward $500 million in aid to rebuild the western part of the state from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, roughly half the amount Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) asked for.

Another $500 million would be spent toward Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in western North Carolina in legislation the state House unanimously approved Tuesday. The measure, if enacted, would add to the funds the Republican-controlled General Assembly already approved in late 2024 to spend on disaster recovery activities

It will cost $60 billion for North Carolina to recover from Hurricane Helene, according to the latest state estimate. “The challenges in relation to this are so enormous,” Thomas Chandler, deputy director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University,