Western North Carolina sustained devastating damage in September 2024 from the effects of Hurricane Helene. The City of Morganton is no exception.
There were more than 70 commercial/industrial businesses and 50 homes in our community with substantial damage from flooding or wind. Our current estimates for costs of emergency response and temporary and permanent restoration of damaged public facilities exceeds $46,000,000.
The City is working with FEMA to secure grant funding to aid in the rebuilding process. If the City has to cash flow the entire $46,000,000, it would put a tremendous strain on our financial ability to serve our citizens. We are pursuing all the funding opportunities and hope that the State assistance will be available.
The following numbers are estimated cost totals for each department within the City.
Parks and Recreation – $22,500,000
Water Resources – $11,238,000
Wastewater – $4,500,000
Electric Services – $3,000,000
CoMPAS Cable - $350,000
Emergency Work and Debris Removal - $4,685,000
The City is planning to seek a cash flow loan from the State program administered by the North Carolina State Treasurer. While the $100 million allocated for that program is appreciated, it will not fund a significant portion of the need across Western North Carolina.
City Manager Sally Sandy said, “We understand that this is not the best news, but we want our citizens and community to know the reality of where we are at with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. We are working as hard as we can to restore all the facilities and parks that were heavily damaged. We want Morganton to be as it was, but it is simply going to take time.”
