A year after Hurricane Helene, communities still wait for federal reimbursements

A year after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Western North Carolina, communities are eager for FEMA funds to reimburse recovery expenses, but it’s not clear when and if that money will come.

When Hurricane Helene swept through North Carolina, it left more than a hundred people dead and some communities destroyed. Some of those rural communities are still working to rebuild a year later, while waiting on federal support. That includes more than a billion dollars for road repairs, which the Department of Transportation announced this week. Gerard Albert III from Blue Ridge Public Radio has more.

GERARD ALBERT III, BYLINE: Sherry Murphy and Suzette Dupuis have lived on the same rural mountain road for more than 20 years. But the pair only met a few months ago, after trying to navigate the damage Hurricane Helene left on their mountain.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: It took some of my yard. I had water coming in the house where the roof – where the wind got so high up it loosened up my tin and water came into my roof.

ALBERT: Volunteers helped rebuild her roof and land. Now the issue