Edwards secures $1.65 billion in disaster block grants for WNC

U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) today announced that Western North Carolina will be receiving $1.65 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to help communities rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

Edwards advocated for these funds in the disaster supplemental bill that he co-sponsored and crafted as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and which has been signed into law, based on the many conversations he had with local leaders and citizens in WNC who were affected by the storm.

The $1.43 billion in CDBG-DR funds for most of WNC will be administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The City of Asheville will receive and administer $225 million in separate CDBG-DR funds.

These are two of many federal disaster assistance funds Edwards included in the bill, which also contains money for WNC agriculture disaster recovery, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service recovery, and Department of Transportation funds to repair destroyed roads and bridges, making it the largest tranche of federal money to be brought back to Western North Carolina at one time.

“Every dollar in the disaster supplemental bill that I advocated for as a House Appropriations Committee member was thoughtfully included to make sure that WNC is getting the tools and resources we need in this phase of recovery. Recovering from Helene will be an ongoing process, and the CDBG-DR grant funds are another important step toward rebuilding our communities,”  Edwards said. “I will continue to be a voice for North Carolina’s 11th District in the halls of Congress through every step of rebuilding our mountains.”

Some highlights in additional funding that Edwards included in the disaster supplemental bill to help communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other disasters in the recovery process include the following:

• National Park Service: More than $2 billion to rebuild and repair national park roads and facilities, including the Blue Ridge Parkway, and rehabilitate historic structures
• Department of Agriculture: More than $30 billion nationally to provide disaster and economic assistance for producers
• U.S. Forest Service: More than $6 billion nationally to repair national forest roads, facilities, and other damaged infrastructure
• Federal Highway Administration: More than $8 billion nationally to reimburse states for highway and bridge repairs