North Carolina Post-Hurricane Housing Crisis Deepens, Families Stranded
Hurricane Helene: Unresolved Housing Crisis The devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene has released an acute housing crisis in North Carolina. It has impacted tens of thousands of residents across 24 counties. Approximately 73,700 homes were damaged, with about 8,800 suffering major destruction or complete loss. This catastrophic destruction has culminated in housing instability. Families are grappling with recovery challenges as they attempt to rebuild their lives. The total estimated damage is $12.7 billion. Federal and state resources have attempted to address this crisis. Programs such as the Community Block Development Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) were used. North Carolina has allocated $1.4 billion for housing recovery. However, the delayed receipt of these federal funds, which had not arrived by early 2025, has stalled any significant reconstruction efforts. In response, state legislation, namely HB 47, approved an interim measure of $120 million. This was for housing re...