Investing in a Just Recovery:
One Year Since Helene,
Too Long for Eastern NC.

WHEN THE SKIES TURN GREY

Building Resilient Communities in Eastern North Carolina

by Camber Foundation

“Community-based organizations such as churches, nonprofits, and grassroots groups, which form the backbone of small towns, found themselves responding to immediate needs while being largely excluded from formal recovery planning. These organizations, many of which receive support from organizations like Camber Foundation, understood that disasters don’t create problems so much as they reveal and amplify existing vulnerabilities.”

STATE AND FEDERAL ACTION URGENTLY NEEDED

Are we learning the right lessons from Hurricane Helene?

by Will McDow, Environmental Defense Fund

“To safeguard people and communities we must protect existing natural flood control features, like wetlands, fully fund pre-disaster programs, and ensure federal and state agencies coordinate with local needs. Today, our wetlands are at risk, disaster preparedness programs are defunded, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is hobbled.” Published in NC Newsline.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR LEGISLATORS TO ACT

A New Precedent for North Carolina Recovery

by Sam Stites, Just Economics of Western North Carolina

“As the months continued and the federal funding landscape changed dramatically, it became clear that NC state leaders dramatically overestimated the federal government’s willingness to fund meaningful disaster relief… One year after Helene, it is not too late for the North Carolina General Assembly, in coordination with the federal government or otherwise, to pass meaningful relief packages to promote sustainable and resilient economies for the disaster region, and put an end to the crawling decline in economic security that so many are facing. ”

ONGOING INVESTMENTS, NOT ONE-OFF SOLUTIONS

Analysis: North Carolina’s recovery effort on repeat

by Jovita Lee, Ed.D. and Yolanda Taylor, North Carolina Black Alliance

“It is no coincidence the divestment is particularly prevalent in the southeastern region of the United States, where the highest concentration of Black and Brown people reside. Specific to North Carolina, we still have neighbors in the eastern part of the state who have yet to recover from Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Matthew due to poor policy decisions and unnecessary administrative burdens created by the failed ReBuild NC program, which left some survivors in limbo, preventing them from accessing the additional recovery support they needed. Those communities are predominantly Black and Brown, too.”

NO MORE TAX CUTS

Western North Carolinians deserve a budget that prioritizes people

by Alex Campbell, North Carolina Budget & Tax Center

“Instead, our state budget writers are pushing ahead with unpopular tax cuts for profitable corporations and the ultra-wealthy that will cost our state billions in revenue that is urgently needed to respond to community needs. When fully phased in, for example, the Senate’s proposed tax cuts would mean over $10 billion per year in lost revenue compared to today’s tax rates. Meanwhile, the House and Senate’s continued commitment to eliminating the corporate income tax will enrich out-of-state corporate executives and shareholders while doing nothing to help everyday North Carolinians like you and me.”

HOUSING MATTERS

One Year Since Helene: Housing Matters More Than Ever

by Stephanie Watkins-Cruz and Anna Patterson North Carolina Housing Coalition

“The path to long term, just recovery will require  intentional, reliable, and resilient investment in housing. The federal and state funding that has been allocated so far is still only a fraction of what is needed in order to rebuild, and the years-long process will require additional resources that allow individuals and families to remain in their communities. The longer the delays in funding, the more displacement we will see.”

‘“ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ACTION

Governor Stein, NCDEQ Deliver Relief to Victims of Hurricane Helene While Trump Administration Impedes Recovery

by North Carolina League of Conservation Voters

“A year ago this week, Hurricane Helene devastated communities across our state, especially those in Western NC. Here’s who has helped (and hindered) recovery efforts.”

THE NEEDS FAR OUTPACE OUR AVAILABLE DOLLARS

A Reflection on Philanthropy’s Role One Year after Helene

by Sarah Mann Willcox, North Carolina Network of Grantmakers

“You could liquidate every foundation in North Carolina, every last asset, and still fall more than $35 billion short of the expected recovery bill.”

ROAD TO RECOVERY

Labor Force and Unemployment Post-Helene

by Dalton Bailey, NC Rural Center

“In this first of a series of reports, we analyze labor force and unemployment data to determine the labor force impacts of Helene as compared to Florence. We find that after the initial impacts, much of the region has recovered, but that some areas are still working on coming back from this generational storm.”

VOLUNTEERISM RELIES ON SUSTAINED INVESTMENTS

Recovery is the longer, quieter work that follows.

by North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

“The VOAD movement is built on volunteers, yet volunteerism alone cannot meet the immense challenges left in the wake of Hurricane Helene… Too often, funding and resources dissipate long before communities are fully restored, leaving survivors without the support they need to complete their recovery. Sustained investment is critical if we are to avoid repeating this cycle of unfinished recovery.”