Washington, D.C. — Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis have written an opinion piece for the Carolina Journal laying out the road ahead for Western North Carolina as they rebuild and recover from Hurricane Helene.

Read the full op-ed below:

The road ahead for western North Carolina

Western North Carolina was forever changed on Sept. 27, 2024. Hurricane Helene brought more than 30 inches of rainfall in some areas, unleashing floodwaters and landslides that destroyed homes, businesses, community centers, and places of worship. Two months after Helene’s initial impact, tens of thousands of North Carolinians are still struggling to begin the long process of putting their lives back together.

Yet among countless stories of tragedy and heartbreak are other stories that have long defined Appalachia — resiliency, compassion, and, perhaps above all, a strong desire to rebuild.

While numbers can only do so much to convey the full extent of the need, it is undeniable that Helene is the worst storm in North Carolina history. At least 102 lives lost, 151,000 homes damaged or destroyed, and the timeline for many communities to fully restore key infrastructure — things like roads, bridges, utilities, and water-treatment facilities — remains months to years away. As we head deeper into winter, 20,000 farms in disaster-declared counties collectively face $2.4 billion in crop losses and over 500,000 small businesses across western North Carolina hang in the balance.

For years, the federal government has rightly understood that some natural disasters are so profound that direct government support is the only solution. Because of this, the US Small Business Administration (SBA) offers the Disaster Loan Program to provide much-needed low-cost loans to survivors looking to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. These loans can be used to replace or repair damaged homes, businesses, or property. They can also provide temporary working capital to undamaged businesses that experience the significant community-wide economic losses that typically follow a severe natural disaster.

This last point is especially important in western North Carolina, where the fall season drives much of the annual revenue for the travel and tourism industry and small businesses. September, October, and November are key months that many businesses rely upon to first break even for the year and then provide enough cash flow to last until spring. Yet, due to Helene, that revenue does not exist.

Frustratingly, due to unilateral policy changes taken by the Biden administration, the Disaster Loan Program’s drawdown rate has accelerated significantly in recent years, something the SBA apparently failed to consider as the southeastern US entered hurricane season. Because of this glaring oversight, the damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton quickly exhausted all remaining funding for the program on Oct. 15.

Replenishing the SBA loan program and helping people rebuild their lives without delay have been among our top priorities. Our bipartisan legislation, the RELIEF Act, would provide an immediate infusion of funding to restart the SBA’s lending lifeline. It also contains strong oversight provisions that require SBA answers for the operational failures that occurred to allow the account to run so dangerously low.

Many of our Senate colleagues have co-sponsored the RELIEF Act and dozens more have expressed their support for quickly moving relief to the people of western North Carolina. Unfortunately, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has prioritized confirming liberal judges during Biden’s lame-duck period rather than bringing this important legislation to the floor for a vote. We look forward to next year when Republicans will control the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives so we can start making Washington work for everyday Americans again.

While we will continue our efforts to replenish the SBA’s Disaster Loan Program, this is simply an important first step of many. We support the full extent of the recent supplemental disaster budget request and will do everything we can to move this relief package through Congress as quickly as possible. Ensuring all necessary economic, housing, infrastructure, and mental health resources are promptly deployed to western North Carolina is, and will continue to be, non-negotiable.

Western North Carolinians are proud of their home, and rightly so. Whether it’s summers in the Great Smokies National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway during peak fall leaf season, or the grandeur of the Biltmore Estate during the holidays, western North Carolina is a place of unrivaled natural beauty. The mountain folks who live there have spent their entire lives working hard, paying taxes, and never asking for anything from the federal government. Now it is time for their government to reciprocate and help them in their time of greatest need as they begin the rebuilding process.

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