DHS is delaying millions in already approved North Carolina recovery funds, documents show

Communities across the region still need to be reimbursed for about a hundred projects including debris removal, waste water treatment repairs, roads and bridges, damaged buildings and parks, as well as for emergency protective measures.

Updated
August 8, 2025 at 8:58 p.m. EDTyesterday at 8:58 p.m. EDT

Resident Anne Schneider, right, hugs her friend Eddy Sampson as they survey damage from Hurricane Helene on Oct. 1 in Marshall, North Carolina. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

By Brianna Sacks and Maeve Reston

The Department of Homeland Security is holding up more than $100 million in preapproved funds intended to help hurricane-battered North Carolina clean up storm damage and fix infrastructure still in disrepair almost a year after Helene hit the region, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post and officials familiar with the process.

{snip}

By Brianna Sacks
Brianna Sacks explores how climate change is transforming the United States through catastrophic events. She deploys to disaster zones for intense, on-the-ground reporting, as well as does investigative, accountabiliy, and enterprise reporting on how disasters impact all facets of life.

By Maeve Reston
Maeve Reston is a national political reporter for The Washington Post. You can contact her on Signal at MaeveReston.22follow on X@MaeveReston