From Inside Climate News: Why Is ReBuild NC Involved in Disaster Management in Western North Carolina? The state’s new governor said the troubled agency, which fumbled hurricane relief in the east, wouldn’t go to devastated mountain areas after Hurricane Helene. But ReBuild NC has done just that. Excerpts:

“It’s been four months since Hurricane Helene flooded and flattened thousands of square miles of western North Carolina. Recovery will likely take decades, and possibly longer, if FEMA is dissolved.

That could leave the state government to fund and manage a complex $60 billion recovery and rebuilding program.

But since 2016, North Carolina has bungled recoveries after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, as ReBuild NC overspent its $779 million federal budget by more than $220 million, and ran out of money to complete the work.”