North Carolina’s governor approves more than $600 million in Helene recovery funding

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper approved more than $600 million worth of funding on Friday to go toward disaster recovery from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. The bill Cooper signed to approve the spending was passed by the General Assembly on Thursday. It comes as the second iteration of disaster recovery funding for Helene-devastated areas from the state legislature. The state budget office estimates that Helene caused about $53 billion in damages and recovery needs across the region. The storm brought historic flooding to western North Carolina and destroyed thousands of miles of roads.