NC House tackles Helene aid shortfall

RALEIGH, N.C. — For the first time since being formed, North Carolina’s House Select Committee on Helene Recovery is meeting Wednesday in Raleigh.

The group is made up of lawmakers from the North Carolina House of Representatives. They are meeting at 2 p.m. in the North Carolina General Assembly Building for their first, full meeting.

The meeting will stream live on WCNC+

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On Wednesday meeting’s agenda, lawmakers are expected to hear from:

• Matt Calabria and Jonathan Krebs from the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina known as GROW NC
• Will Ray, the director of the North Carolina Emergency Management, who is expected to speak on FEMA temporary housing
• Mark White, of the fiscal research division, who is expected to speak on the federal recovery resources

RELATED: Trump meets Helene survivors in Asheville, blasts federal response

The committee is charged by Rep. John R. Bell, a Republican from District 10 near Goldsboro, and Rep. Dudley Greene, a Republican from District 85 in western North Carolina.

Rep. Pickett, a Republican representing parts of Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga counties, is the vice chair. He talked to WCNC Charlotte earlier this week about their priorities and discussions with House Speaker Destin Hall, who formed the committee as one of his first acts in the role.

“[Destin] sustained a lot of damage in his own county —  he knows that the people that represent that area need to be the ones leading the charge because that’s our home,” Pickett said.

Last year, the NCGA did pass significant relief bills, totaling more than $1 billion. The federal government also approved $100 billion for Helene relief, but Rep. Pickett said they’re still waiting to see exactly how much will be dedicated to North Carolina.

RELATED: ‘A very big disappointment’ | Trump blasts FEMA response to Helene in western NC

The real price tag is much larger.

“It’s somewhere between $55-60 billion, so it’s a lot,” he said. “The state budget last year was 33 billion for everything. So the state doesn’t have it.” 

“We would like for them to let us have a little bit more hand in rebuilding because we know what we know what we need, but the rebuilding of houses is going to be just a daunting task,” Pickett added.

Here is a full list of committee members:

• Rep. Bell (Chair)
• Rep. Greene (Chair)
• Rep. McNeely
• Rep. Miller
• Rep. Paré
• Rep. Balkcom
• Rep. Clampitt
• Rep. Gillespie
• Rep. Penny
• Rep. G. Pierce
• Rep. Johnson
• Rep. Pickett
  Rep. Pless
• Rep. Prather
• Rep. Pyrtle
• Rep. Adams
• Rep. Ager
• Rep. Blackwell
• Rep. Roberson
• Rep. Ross
• Rep. Scott
• Rep. Buansi
• Rep. Budd
• Rep. Cunningham
• Rep. Setzer
• Rep. Shepard
• Rep. Stevens
• Rep. Dahle
• Rep. Dixon
• Rep. Eddins
• Rep. K. Hall
• Rep. Strickland
• Rep. Torbett
• Rep. Hastings
• Rep. Iler
• Rep. Kidwell
• Rep. Turner
• Rep. Tyson
• Rep. Warren
• Rep. Lambeth
• Rep. Loftis
• Rep. Logan
• Rep. Willingham
• Rep. Willis

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