Asheville, NC recovery after Hurricane Helene a mixed bag: Mayor
(NewsNation) — With hurricane season underway this weekend, many in western North Carolina are still picking up the pieces from last year after the state was ravaged by Hurricane Helene. Ester Manheimer, mayor of Asheville, NC, joined 'Morning in America with Hena Doba' to discuss the recovery of the city and the concerns moving forward for residents.
'We have a lot of recovery that's already happened,' said Manheimer. 'When this storm hit, it was devastating. We lost water, power, and communications. So, all those things have been restored, and we're open for business.'
Nearly $900 million in FEMA funds have been sent to North Carolina in the nine months since Helene hit — both in household assistance and public assistance for residents to rebuild. Asheville, though, was one of the hardest-hit areas not just in the state, but in the Southeast. Parts of the area — especially along the river where the massive flooding occurred left many in ruins and questioning their future of rebuilding.
Turmoil, worry swirl over cuts to key federal agencies as hurricane season begins
'Buildings, parks, all kinds of roads and bridges were damaged or washed out,' Manheimer added. 'So, there are definitely property owners along those areas that are thinking hard about whether they want to rebuild or they want to participate in the buyout program.'
This week, FEMA denied the request to match the funds needed for cleanup in Asheville, but Manheimer says that even if they provide 90% of said funds, it is still a big boost.
'This is a storm that estimated $60 billion in damages to the state of North Carolina,' she acknowledged. 'So, these costs are not insignificant. They are tremendous.'
Manheimer says that Asheville still needs a lot of help to recover in terms of the long-term projects, while the things that were easy to fix have been taken care of already. She also pointed that the city is more prepared for the upcoming hurricane season but only if they continue to receive the necessary suport from the federal government.
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