WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — $43.1 million in emergency relief funds will be immediately available to help affected areas still struggling after Hurricane Helene, the U.S. Department of Transportation said.
The bulk of the funds will be given to the National Park Service (NPS) in North Carolina to help finance emergency repairs to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Since late September, the majority of the parkway has been closed to the public due to immense damage, but incremental progress has been made and several small sections have gradually been reopened for public use.
Below is a breakdown of the emergency relief funding requests:
- $5.1 million for emergency repairs in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests in North Carolina
- $1.25 million in emergency repairs in Francis Marion and Sumter national forests in South Carolina
- $5.25 million for emergency repairs in Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee
- $6.4 million for emergency repairs in George Washington and Jefferson national forests in Virginia
- $25 million to the National Park Service for emergency repairs to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
“The damage caused by Hurricane Helene’s heavy rains, strong winds, and flooding is so extensive that emergency vehicles and utility crews cannot make their way into the national forests and national parks to make essential repairs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The emergency funding we’re sending will help the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service make repairs to vital transportation networks in four impacted states where roads are currently impassable and reopen these roadways as quickly as possible."
Additional funds to assist with damage repairs in those four states has been estimated to be over a billion dollars.
