The announcement comes less than a week after the newly-elected governor made other announcements in Asheville last Thursday.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Gov. Josh Stein is expected to make another announcement related to Helene storm recovery on Tuesday.
An announcement from the governor’s office said the newly-elected governor would be joined by a federal official performing the duties of the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The announcement was expected as Stein and Adrianne Todman, the deputy secretary performing the duties of the HUD secretary, first tour storm damage in Old Fort at 10:30 a.m. They will then travel to Mountain BixWorks in Asheville at 2 p.m.
Last week, Stein announced executive orders to support ongoing recovery efforts in western North Carolina.
“Winter is here in western North Carolina, and we must act quickly to get people in temporary housing, repair private roads and bridges, and keep people safe,” Stein said last week. “I will do everything in my power to make sure we are both thinking creatively and acting swiftly to help our neighbors recover.”
Stein said the biggest challenges remain around the need for housing and the repair of private bridges and roads.
More than 12,000 people remain displaced as winter grips the region, and thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. The storm also left thousands of private roads and bridges in desperate need of repair, cutting off critical access to homes and services.
On Jan. 2, Stein signed five executive orders to address these issues and move these recovery efforts forward.
The first two orders temporarily waive some regulations in order to increase the supply of emergency housing.
“Providing an unlimited waiver on state procurement regulations so that we can quickly increase the supply of temporary housing units on people’s property so that we can keep them safe through the winter so that they can begin the process of rebuilding or repairing,” said Stein.
Another order temporarily waives certain procurement regulations, allowing faster action to restore essential transportation routes. It will essentially help the state speed up the repair of private roads and bridges.
He also signed an order that established a dedicated recovery office for the western North Carolina region and other resources.
Under the orders, Stein directed the state to authorize 16 extra hours for state employees to volunteer in the community.
“To keep moving forward we will act with urgency, focus and transparency and accountability, we want every dollar dedicated to recovery whether federal, state, local or charitable to be spent as efficiently, impactfully and quickly as possible ,” Stein said.
