Latest news with #NorthCarolinaOfficeofRecoveryandResiliency
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NCORR asks for $217M, lawmakers say they can't be trusted
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — On Thursday the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, an embattled state recovery group, is asking the General Assembly for over $200 million, eight years after hurricanes and flooding wiped out homes in Eastern North Carolina. The director of NCORR, Pryor Gibson, testified about the need for hours. 'There's a pretty ugly day of reckoning coming if we don't get additional funding,' Gibson said. More than eight years after Hurricane Matthew ravaged Eastern North Carolina, around 1,150 people are still living in temporary homes, including hotels and motels, as they wait for NCORR's help. 'This is y'all's fault, not ours,' Representative Brendon Jones said to Gibson. 'You can answer the things that are what you wish to answer, but it just keeps getting worse and worse and worse every time you come before us,' Representative Mark Pless said in a conversation with Gibson. In that contentious meeting, the recovery group is asking the General Assembly for $217 million by the end of February, otherwise, they can't afford to keep people in temporary homes or rebuild destroyed ones. The group has also received federal funds, as well. 'This has been one of the biggest shams on the North Carolina taxpayers that's ever taken place,' Representative Jones said. 'You give us the money, we'll get these people home,' Gibson said. Representative Jones interrupted: 'And how many times have we heard that? I'm just asking…it's the same thing every time, 'We need more money,' we keep throwing money at a problem you can't resolve,' he said. 'Y'all have proven you can't do the job.' The General Assembly appropriated $50 million for the group less than three months ago. Gibson admitted to financial mismanagement within the group and bad decision making. Of the 1,150 homes that need to be rebuilt, Gibson says about 20% of them are 'atypical' cases, meaning they pose big challenges. But he says they're still doing good work. 'For the 3,200 plus families that have gotten the keys to their new homes, this has been a lifechanging experience when they lost everything in a disaster,' he said. Lawmakers say it's not enough. 'After a while, when you spend more time explaining what you did than accounting for what you did, it's not a mistake, it's a lie,' Representative Pless said. Representative Jones added: 'North Carolinians have been waiting eight years for help. E=Eight years of families stuck in hotels, motels, living with relatives, struggling to get by.' Republican leadership in the General Assembly has repeatedly said they don't see the group funding NCORR anymore. 'The fact that every time they show up they've still not completed their job, and all they do is ask for more money is just an indication at how inept that whole effort has been,' Senator Phil Berger said. The day before, House Speaker Destin Hall echoed the same sentiment. 'I don't think this body is going to support continuing to fund what's just been an absolute disaster with NCORR over the last 8 years,' he said. There's no word right now on when the General Assembly could make a decision on the funding. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Carolina officials make urgent request to lawmakers on Helene and other hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina officials charged with leading recovery efforts in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene — as well as parts of eastern North Carolina still struggling from previous hurricanes — told state lawmakers this week that they need more money. And they need it soon. Western North Carolina will need billions more dollars from the federal and state government to accomplish its recovery goals, according to officials in Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's administration at a Wednesday legislative meeting. The region saw historic flooding from Helene last year, which resulted in almost $60 billion in damages. A day later, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency called on the legislature to provide $217 million as a final request to finish construction on more than 1,100 eastern North Carolina homes devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018. NCORR has been plagued with financial problems — namely a reported budget shortfall last year — which has fueled criticism from lawmakers. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. For Helene's recovery, the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina advisor Jonathan Krebs outlined a funding gap of about $10 billion between money North Carolina requested from the federal government and what the state has received. Stein's administration is requesting that additional money for western North Carolina be included in any future funding bill to address the southern California wildfires. To address some lawmakers' critiques of how recovery process have been handled so far, Krebs urged the legislature to appropriate more state funds toward the rebuilding efforts. Krebs said the recovery office is largely reliant on receiving reimbursements from the federal government, but having more state funds at their disposal would allow the office to work outside of that system. He said the office also anticipates further delays from the federal government in funding. 'We don't want to bog this down with thick layers of bureaucracy, we want to be able to move nimbly,' office director Matt Calabria said. The office described four critical needs in western North Carolina: debris removal, housing recovery, economic revitalization for impacted towns and repairs for roads and bridges. GROW NC's goal is to largely complete housing projects within four years, Krebs said, but further repairs on roads and bridges could take about a decade. Lawmakers frequently drew a contrast between the ongoing recovery plan for western North Carolina with NCORR's work in the east for nearly a decade. GOP legislators have vowed that western North Carolina's recovery will be run more effectively than in eastern North Carolina, which Republicans have repeatedly described as slow and inefficient. "We still have families across the state waiting for a home. This is unacceptable," Columbus County Rep. Brenden Jones said during Thursday's hearing. NCORR leaders — such as former chief operating officer Laura Hogshead, who exited from her position in November — have previously attributed the office's financial issues to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising infrastructure costs. But during Thursday's hearing, NCORR leader Pryor Gibson acknowledged 'the mistakes' in the office's past management of housing recovery. Gibson detailed NCORR's ongoing struggles with retaining a reliable base of contractors due to a lack of funds. Gibson called the situation a 'double jeopardy' that could only be solved by 'dependable money' rather than piecemeal funding from the legislature. 'If we don't have projects in the pipe, our contractors will leave. They've said it out loud," Gibson said. "And if they leave, honestly, with eastern recovery, we will not have the ability to put it back together.' A little more than half of the 1,179 remaining homes are under construction, while the other half are awaiting construction, according to the recovery office. Gibson estimated the remaining homes' construction could be completed by the end of 2025 if the office received adequate funding.
The Independent
30-01-2025
- Business
- The Independent
North Carolina officials make urgent request to lawmakers on Helene and other hurricanes
North Carolina officials charged with leading recovery efforts in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene — as well as parts of eastern North Carolina still struggling from previous hurricanes — told state lawmakers this week that they need more money. And they need it soon. Western North Carolina will need billions more dollars from the federal and state government to accomplish its recovery goals, according to officials in Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's administration at a Wednesday legislative meeting. The region saw historic flooding from Helene last year, which resulted in almost $60 billion in damages. A day later, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency called on the legislature to provide $217 million as a final request to finish construction on more than 1,100 eastern North Carolina homes devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018. NCORR has been plagued with financial problems — namely a reported budget shortfall last year — which has fueled criticism from lawmakers. For Helene's recovery, the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina advisor Jonathan Krebs outlined a funding gap of about $10 billion between money North Carolina requested from the federal government and what the state has received. Stein's administration is requesting that additional money for western North Carolina be included in any future funding bill to address the southern California wildfires. To address some lawmakers' critiques of how recovery process have been handled so far, Krebs urged the legislature to appropriate more state funds toward the rebuilding efforts. Krebs said the recovery office is largely reliant on receiving reimbursements from the federal government, but having more state funds at their disposal would allow the office to work outside of that system. He said the office also anticipates further delays from the federal government in funding. 'We don't want to bog this down with thick layers of bureaucracy, we want to be able to move nimbly,' office director Matt Calabria said. The office described four critical needs in western North Carolina: debris removal, housing recovery, economic revitalization for impacted towns and repairs for roads and bridges. GROW NC's goal is to largely complete housing projects within four years, Krebs said, but further repairs on roads and bridges could take about a decade. Lawmakers frequently drew a contrast between the ongoing recovery plan for western North Carolina with NCORR's work in the east for nearly a decade. GOP legislators have vowed that western North Carolina's recovery will be run more effectively than in eastern North Carolina, which Republicans have repeatedly described as slow and inefficient. "We still have families across the state waiting for a home. This is unacceptable," Columbus County Rep. Brenden Jones said during Thursday's hearing. NCORR leaders — such as former chief operating officer Laura Hogshead, who exited from her position in November — have previously attributed the office's financial issues to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising infrastructure costs. But during Thursday's hearing, NCORR leader Pryor Gibson acknowledged 'the mistakes' in the office's past management of housing recovery. Gibson detailed NCORR's ongoing struggles with retaining a reliable base of contractors due to a lack of funds. Gibson called the situation a 'double jeopardy' that could only be solved by 'dependable money' rather than piecemeal funding from the legislature. 'If we don't have projects in the pipe, our contractors will leave. They've said it out loud," Gibson said. "And if they leave, honestly, with eastern recovery, we will not have the ability to put it back together.' A little more than half of the 1,179 remaining homes are under construction, while the other half are awaiting construction, according to the recovery office. Gibson estimated the remaining homes' construction could be completed by the end of 2025 if the office received adequate funding.
Associated Press
30-01-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
North Carolina officials make urgent request to lawmakers on Helene and other hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina officials charged with leading recovery efforts in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene — as well as parts of eastern North Carolina still struggling from previous hurricanes — told state lawmakers this week that they need more money. And they need it soon. Western North Carolina will need billions more dollars from the federal and state government to accomplish its recovery goals, according to officials in Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's administration at a Wednesday legislative meeting. The region saw historic flooding from Helene last year, which resulted in almost $60 billion in damages. A day later, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency called on the legislature to provide $217 million as a final request to finish construction on more than 1,100 eastern North Carolina homes devastated by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018. NCORR has been plagued with financial problems — namely a reported budget shortfall last year — which has fueled criticism from lawmakers. For Helene's recovery, the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina advisor Jonathan Krebs outlined a funding gap of about $10 billion between money North Carolina requested from the federal government and what the state has received. Stein's administration is requesting that additional money for western North Carolina be included in any future funding bill to address the southern California wildfires. To address some lawmakers' critiques of how recovery process have been handled so far, Krebs urged the legislature to appropriate more state funds toward the rebuilding efforts. Krebs said the recovery office is largely reliant on receiving reimbursements from the federal government, but having more state funds at their disposal would allow the office to work outside of that system. He said the office also anticipates further delays from the federal government in funding. 'We don't want to bog this down with thick layers of bureaucracy, we want to be able to move nimbly,' office director Matt Calabria said. The office described four critical needs in western North Carolina: debris removal, housing recovery, economic revitalization for impacted towns and repairs for roads and bridges. GROW NC's goal is to largely complete housing projects within four years, Krebs said, but further repairs on roads and bridges could take about a decade. Lawmakers frequently drew a contrast between the ongoing recovery plan for western North Carolina with NCORR's work in the east for nearly a decade. GOP legislators have vowed that western North Carolina's recovery will be run more effectively than in eastern North Carolina, which Republicans have repeatedly described as slow and inefficient. 'We still have families across the state waiting for a home. This is unacceptable,' Columbus County Rep. Brenden Jones said during Thursday's hearing. NCORR leaders — such as former chief operating officer Laura Hogshead, who exited from her position in November — have previously attributed the office's financial issues to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising infrastructure costs. But during Thursday's hearing, NCORR leader Pryor Gibson acknowledged 'the mistakes' in the office's past management of housing recovery. Gibson detailed NCORR's ongoing struggles with retaining a reliable base of contractors due to a lack of funds. Gibson called the situation a 'double jeopardy' that could only be solved by 'dependable money' rather than piecemeal funding from the legislature. 'If we don't have projects in the pipe, our contractors will leave. They've said it out loud,' Gibson said. 'And if they leave, honestly, with eastern recovery, we will not have the ability to put it back together.' A little more than half of the 1,179 remaining homes are under construction, while the other half are awaiting construction, according to the recovery office. Gibson estimated the remaining homes' construction could be completed by the end of 2025 if the office received adequate funding.
