Rebuilding After Helene

Recovery from Hurricane Helene is still underway in western North Carolina. Governor Josh Stein visited the remnants of one family-owned dairy farm to see the destruction they’re still dealing with.

Generations of hard work poured into this land washed away in a matter of minutes.

“It’s not just a piece of property that looks like it’s been washed out. This is the land he knew like we know the back of our hands. He said ‘that’s where that building was,’” Stein said.

Stein got an up-close look at the damage, touring one family’s owned dairy farm in Haywood County.

Tragically, when the river came in and the flood came in and the river overran the banks, it took a number of heads of cattle, destroyed the milk tank, the silos, the barn,” Stein said.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

“He’s poured his life and soul into this far, and to see the pain, it affects you,” Stein said.

Governor Stein says the farmers will get some help from the state and the federal government. But so far, it’s just not enough.

“He just needs some certainty,” Stein said. “Like most businesses and unfortunately with turmoil and the federal government, they haven’t been able to give them that certainty.”

Certainty and soon in a seasonal business like agriculture, if you missed that season, it could have implications for the entire year.

“He’s got to buy seed to start planting row crops now,” Stein said. “ So, we want to help him have some financial certainty so he can start the long, hard work of getting back on his feet.”

Stein says a new $500 million Helene relief bill heads to a vote next week, not enough to save the countless businesses still struggling, but it is a start.

“It is nowhere near enough. But it is enough for us to get started,” Stein said. “And we want to get started so we can start helping people on the ground here in western North Carolina.”

Even if it does pass, Stein’s work to help small businesses like this one won’t stop there. He knows the lives of thousands of western North Carolinians depend on it.

“There’s a lot of work to be done. We have to bring urgency to this work. That’s the message I want to take back to Raleigh. It’s the message I want to carry to Washington, D.C.” Stein said.