Unveiling WNC's post-Helene Strategy for Long Term Economic Recovery

It's been almost 21-months since Hurricane Helene's impact was felt across Western North Carolina. While the region has largely recovered from some of the notable physical aspects of the story, the economic recovery will be going on for quite some time.

Last week, Governor Stein's Advisory Committee for Western North Carolina recovery met in Boone, where the draft version of the region's Long-Term Economic Recovery plan was discussed. While the full version has not yet been released, valuable feedback came from this discussion that will inform the full report, set to be released later this fall.

On this week's Mind Your Business, we visit with Sharon Decker, Governor Stein's Senior Advisor for WNCs Long-Term Recovery. She and the GROW NC team have been hard at work, collecting data and experiences from across the region, with the goal of leaving Western North Carolina in a stronger position than what existed pre-Helene. We'll discuss how this plan will be communicated and how existing assets can prepare the region for economic growth in popular sectors.

To advance this work, it's been made abundantly clear from lawmakers at the State and Federal level that additional funding will be required. Earlier this week, Senator Ted Budd testified before US Senate colleagues, and we'll hear exactly what he shared as he works to keep the voice of Western North Carolina alive in Congress.

Mind Your Business is written and produced weekly by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. This podcast is made possible thanks to the sponsorship support of Appalachian Commercial Real Estate.

Catch the show each Thursday afternoon (except this week) at 5PM on WATA (1450AM & 96.5FM) in Boone.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

The economic recovery from Hurricane Helene is both a short and long-term process. This week we'll discuss how leaders across Western North Carolina are working toward preparing and enhancing opportunity. From the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, this is Mind Your Business.

SPEAKER_03 0:19

Mind Your Business. Brought to you by Appalachian Commercial Real Estate, providing professional commercial real estate services. Visit Appalachian CRE.com.

SPEAKER_04 0:30

Hello and welcome into Mind Your Business. I'm David Jackson, president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. Thanks for joining us once again this week, whether through the airwaves of WATA here in Boon, or as a subscriber of the podcast version of the program, which is made possible each week by our good friends at Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. If you haven't subscribed yet, you've got an excellent opportunity to do that right now. Just search for Mind Your Business wherever you get your podcast. There you can gain access to full archives, occasional bonus content, extended episodes, and plenty more as we continue to bring you the business news that you can use from right here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Thanks for joining us for a slightly delayed version of the show this week. Travel back from New Orleans kind of got in the way. We'll recap the ACCE convention and a few notes about our Chamber of the Year experience a bit later in the program. We have several ongoing conversations post-Helene in our community about recovery. Physical in nature for some, the rebuilding of houses, repairs of roads and bridges. Then there's the mental recovery, getting past the triggers of rainstorms and flooding. It's natural in disaster-impacted communities for this type of mental hurdle to take a while to clear. We at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce have been focused on the economic recovery, the short-term impacts we've seen on local businesses and our tourism economy, but more lately that conversation is steering toward long-term investments in a region that's absorbed its share of punches over the years. Many of you remember the manufacturing epicenter Western North Carolina used to be, furniture and textiles, the offshoring of the 1980s and 90s had a real impact right here. On a more positive side, we've seen the need for investments in rural health care, both from a workforce and service deliveries standpoint, be positives for our region. We've seen a transportation network that has been void of substantive change over the years, and a reliance on a funding structure for that network that is shrinking by the day. But we've also seen investments in the forelaning of roadways, the rebuilding of rail off the mountain that is attractive to business. I've been fortunate to sit on Governor Steide's advisory committee for Western North Carolina Recovery and serve as a co-chair of a subcommittee on long-term economic development recovery. Our conversation has been geared toward the opportunity that exists with significant investments that will be coming to the area over the next few years, and how we can use existing resources to put Western North Carolina back on the map as an economic engine in a way that plays to what this region is rather than fitting our strategy in a way that's not supported. Said another way, rather than replacing what we had pre-storm, how can we respond in a way that sets up our future through infrastructure investments, prioritization of workforce, and a concentration on industries that are unique to Western North Carolina, like our makers and our artists? We have an opportunity to come out of the Helene experience better than when we entered it. And that's been the driving force behind the work of many leaders, communities, and partners across the region. On this week's Mind Your Business, we'll hear from Sharon Decker, senior advisor to Governor Stein for Long-Term Recovery and a former North Carolina Secretary of Commerce under the McCrory administration. Sharon and the Grow NC team have been hard at work on the day-to-day aspects of our region's recovery with an eye turned toward the future and bringing stability and growth potential to a region that has been through turbulent times over the last several decades. We'll talk about the soon-to-be-released long-term recovery plan, Together We Rise, and we'll examine some of the key areas of influence within that plan and how the high country has informed this work. We'll also talk strategy, how current resources like the state's community college system, Appalachian State University, and others can give a boost to where we need to go as we're looking at growing industry, connecting communities, and simply put, leaving this region better off than Helene found it. To do this work, we'll need more monetary support for both short and long-term issues. This week, North Carolina Senator Ted Budd backed up his plea for Helene recovery funding to be worked into the next supplemental package being considered by Congress. We'll hear what the Senator asked for and how he's maintaining the voice of Western North Carolina in Washington. And we'll recap our trip to New Orleans and tell you about our experience as the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce was recognized as a finalist for National Chamber of the Year. We'll get to all of this when we come back. You are listening to Mind Your Business. Each fall, the Boon Area Chamber of Commerce leads a celebration of community, the people and businesses that make us unique, the leaders that make the high country strong. This celebration captures the spirit of Boon. Join us Thursday, September 24th from 5:30 to 9 o'clock in the Grandview Ballroom at Kid Brewer Stadium as the Chamber hosts Spirit of Boon. Connect and network with nearly 400 fellow business and community leaders. Enjoy a delicious dinner. Spirit of Boon is the Chamber's largest fundraiser of the year with event proceeds that fuel our mission-driven work, programs, and projects. Seating is limited, and this event has sold out in past years. Tickets and corporate tables are available now at BoonCamber.com. Join us as we celebrate the Spirit of Boon. Reserve your seats today at Boonechamber.com. Welcome back to Mind Your Business. I'm David Jackson. Before we talk long-term economic development strategy for Western North Carolina, let's talk about a local business that is fixed on finding the solution for the future for your commercial space needs. That's James Milner at Appalachian Commercial Real Estate. They solve simple and complex commercial real estate problems in and around the Boone area and beyond. Whether you own or lease commercial real estate, regardless of the property type, have an advocate on your side, along with the expertise and experience to assist you and your business. For more information, check them out on the web, AppalachianCRE.com. A silver lining from Haleen that we have touched on a lot over the last 21 months is regional togetherness. We still see it today. Communities across the West, leaders with tremendous backgrounds, business influences that see the benefits of a connected and coordinated region, all of these folks are still hard at work, moving toward a day when this region feels like it's operating at its maximum capacity. The Governor's Advisory Committee for Western North Carolina Recovery met in Boone late last week, part of a monthly cadence of gatherings that has occurred since January of last year. This month's meeting was focused on the long-term recovery strategy that will be used to advance the region going forward. Dan Gerlock, who is a presenter at this year's Vision Northwest North Carolina, has been a part of the process, as has Eliza Edwards with the Governor's Office. They've helped support gathering information, data, and experiences from a variety of community leaders and stakeholders over the last few months, helped by the work of a subcommittee that is directly attached to the work. Sharon Decker has served as the project captain, so to speak, and walks us through the plan that is presented and what comes next.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

David, um, it is a process that is long and sometimes arduous. I think you know that, and everybody that's listening knows that. But I would share with you that nearly two years into the recovery, we've made tremendous progress. I think one of the things I'm proudest about in the state is the quick recovery of roads and uh the highways and byways that folks travel, but we're still not complete with the recovery on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which impacts this part of the state in such a significant way. So that work continues. And I know there's a tremendous effort to try to get it open by fall. Certainly it will be by early winter, and uh this will be the last uh Vista Center where we have this impediment of not being able to get fully across the parkway. It's such a driver in Western North Carolina for tourism. We've made really good progress with housing. Uh we know that more than a thousand homes have been restored, many more that we don't know about, where families took care of families and friends took care of friends, but those that we can track through the work of nonprofits, through the work of uh our emergency management team here at the state, um, more than a thousand homes. And we're continuing to diligently work at that. There are over um a hundred homes that have uh been completed now through Renew and C, which is the community development block grant disaster recovery program that the state is operating. And uh I know that there are more than 70 homes under construction as we're recording this, and so those numbers continue to grow and we continue to be able to pick up pace there. Now, all of our community development block grant programs are now live. There are four different streams of recovery dollars that come in through that program in the housing and urban development uh division of the federal government. All of those programs are now launched as of yesterday, and I'm really proud of the team for making that happen. Um, managing federal programs is complex and it's very difficult. Not just FEMA dollars, but HUD dollars and any other way they come to us. But um we've made good progress in that regard. Still a lot of work to be done with private roads and bridges. And so when I give an update on where we are, that's the one that is uh really taking so much more time. The state has never funded private road and bridge recovery to this degree, but never has there been this kind of destruction in a geography either. We've got a lot of private roads and bridges in Western North Carolina, David. I think you know that. And so we're continuing to work aggressively to get those all repaired.

SPEAKER_04 10:48

Sharon, before we talk more specifically about the economic development strategy that was discussed Friday uh at the advisory uh task force meeting, thinking about how you benchmark progress in the long marathon situation here. When it feels like when the day-to-day is all the measurement that people normally use, you can get really bogged down in nearly what is now almost a two-year process. But how are you and your team kind of taking the higher view to see where progress is being attained and what areas of influence may require a bit more attention at this point?

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Yeah. So, David, I would remind you that really Western North Carolina started getting pretty strong economic hits uh back in the 80s when textiles and furniture started moving offshore. I mean, truly that has um that's where this all began for us if we're serious if we really look at it seriously. And then we look at the downturn in 2007-2008 when we saw a lot of additional manufacturing firms, small businesses go out of business in that period, just couldn't survive that kind of economic hit. And then there was COVID, which certainly impacted our economy, which is dependent in great part on tourism and folks coming from other areas. And though we saw local travel increase, you know, after we began to come out of COVID, it has taken us a long time to get back to where we were before that period. And we were just about there. And then here comes Hurricane Helene. So when I think about recovery for us, it's not just about Hurricane Helene, it is about economic recovery over a very long period of years. And I think we're fortunate that Governor Stein recognized that early on and said, you know, we've got to be much more careful, insightful, and visionary when it comes to turning around Western North Carolina's economy because we're reaching back much further than just the storm recovery. We've got to be focused on the fundamentals, getting everyone who is impacted back in safe housing that wants to be in Western North Carolina, and we want everyone to stay. And we've got to get businesses back on their feet from this hit of Hurricane Helene, because a lot of folks lost their physical locations. But we've got to rebuild an economy that began to see a decline much uh further back than the storm. So his request of me to lead our efforts, it's not me, it's an entire group, David, you and Laura, Dr. Laura Weatherwood from uh Blue Ridge Community College have co-chaired a look at long-term economic recovery. How do we take the federal dollars that are coming to us now because of the storm? How do we build on our ability to access those dollars so that we'll really can not only rebuild to where we were but come back stronger than we've been in quite some time?

SPEAKER_04 13:45

So as Governor Stein put together the advisory committee that is is ultimately uh informing some of this work, and how are you seeing each of the subcommittees' work setting up the the ultimate goal of recovery here for the region?

SPEAKER_01 14:01

So we um uh developed two subcommittees to start with, and I think there will be more. Uh, one is long-term economic recovery and revitalization, which uh I'll remind folks again that you and Laura have co-chaired, and I'm so grateful for your help on that. The other is around resiliency and how do we take this opportunity that uh with federal funds coming in for stream bank restoration, for a look at how the storm has impacted the natural resources of Western North Carolina, which David are part of what makes us so attractive and are so important in our recovery. We cannot uh disregard the natural resources that make us who we are. We've got to protect them as we come back and hopefully make decisions that allow us to protect them in case of a new storm or a new set of circumstances or fire that could break out in a region that now has a lot of timber on the ground. And so the the resiliency committee, which is made up of folks from the advisory committee the governor formed, are focused on those areas they met while we were in Boone. I think they went down to Cove Creek and got an opportunity to look directly at some of the impacted area, which I was so glad they had the chance to do that while we were in Boone. And then our long-term recovery group, which includes folks from Boone, not only you guys, but um Dr. Beeler from uh Appalachian State led a subcommittee of the long-term area focused on the craft economy, the handcraft economy, and arts and culture in general. Um, and they've just uh provided a tremendous report that will be a part of our recommendations. So we've tried to look across things, not only those two areas of focus, but also infrastructure. So, how do we connect Western North Carolina? Uh, I think uh Senator Heiss in the meeting brought out a very important point. We have never had the four-lane capacity uh that connects the high country to Asheville, or that uh connection in 26 that really gives access to the far west out of Asheville in a much more seamless way. The I-26 connector, which we've talked about for a long time, finally is being funded. But roads infrastructure, I-74, is a dream that we've had through the foothills of Western North Carolina, which it looks like we've got the opportunity to come to pass uh after this storm. But also air transit, you know, uh we don't have a regional air strategy. We used to have a really hardy airport in Hickory. The facilities are there that, if upgraded, could allow us to have more connections into Asheville, into Hickory, that give folks in Western North Carolina more direct access to uh important uh airline hubs, if not direct flights to more communities. And then uh there's train. And so uh you see we're focused on infrastructure. So infrastructure, uh resiliency, uh, the handcraft and arts culture of our region uh can be capitalized on as well. Education is a big part of this work. Goodness, David. We're so blessed with a very strong community uh college uh region in Western North Carolina, and we are seeing those presidents look creatively at how to work more collaboratively moving forward so that workers and potential new companies can find the workforce they need in the West. The people are here. We need to be sure they're prepared and trained to take the jobs that are coming in the future.

SPEAKER_04 17:36

You know, it's it's interesting, Sharon, that you chose the hickory air example because I think it's a great example of how the workforce development piece works into this conversation. Appalachian State has gotten very uh into and is starting to fund programs around aviation management, an illustration of making sure that the workforce pipeline meets the economic recovery needs. So, how did you go about making sure that there, number one, that there is alignment, but number two, in a region that's so broad that that's documented to the point where everybody is aware of the resources that are available regionwide?

SPEAKER_01 18:10

Uh, David, the key there is collaboration and communication. There are so many worse uh resources in our region. We have uh focused on this as an asset-based uh plan. In other words, we have been looking at what are the natural resources, what are the human resources, what are the educational resources, what are the business resources that exist in Western North Carolina and cataloging those and identifying those and sharing those so that we know the resources that are there. And in the process, David, we start to address the gaps, right? Because we don't, we know for sure we don't have everything that we need. So, for example, a good example of that is the manufacturing historically that we've had in the West has declined dramatically. But advanced manufacturing is growing in aviation, it's growing in automotive, it is growing in in a lot of ways, whether that is in new industries that we haven't seen yet, one of those being life sciences. Life sciences is one of the hardiest industries in North Carolina, and yet we don't have the bulk of it that we could have in Western North Carolina. So one of the things we've worked on coming out of this plan is a life sciences initiative that includes uh programs already at Caldwell County because Caldwell County has seen some growth in the life sciences area. Baxter is a good example of this. There are other companies there, and we know that we can attract more to the West. So by focusing on it and collaborating for on that across counties, not just one county, not just one community college, but collaboratively looking across the Western North Carolina region becomes a much more effective way to recruit companies. Knowing that people are commuting for jobs across county lines, it doesn't make any difference, does it? And so we will assess, you know, what do we need in terms of new workforce development programs? What do we need in in terms of uh attraction of new companies to the region? So I hope that makes some sense that there are a lot of moving parts, and it's not just one answer, but all of us collectively will be able to come up with the answers addressing the needs, identifying the assets that are there, and uh moving forward together with a good solid plan.

SPEAKER_04 20:27

We'll take a quick break and continue our conversation with Sharon Decker in just a moment. You are listening to Mind Your Business.

SPEAKER_03 20:34

Appalachian Commercial Real Estate provides professional commercial real estate services in the Boone area. They provide sales, leasing, consulting, and appraisal services to owners and users of commercial real estate. For more information, go to their website at Appalachian CRE.com.

SPEAKER_04 20:52

Welcome back to Mind Your Business. I'm David Jackson. We continue our conversation with Sharon Decker, the governor's senior advisor for long-term recovery here in Western North Carolina. You know, I think one of the through lines of this conversation, and this is really committee-wide, not just necessarily an economic development, is the notion to make uh what is is replaced better than what was there in the first place. Exactly. How do you how do you begin to bring that vision to what has been at, as you mentioned earlier, a region that has been Delta curveballer to uh to to spark the innovation and creativity to take this region uh where it could be five, 10, 15 years down the road from now?

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Well, I think it begins, uh David, with um kind of creating a picture of what the possibilities might be. Uh a healthier region that maintains a stronger level of employment. That means better, better and increasing better paying jobs for folks that are here. It means, my apologies. It uh it also means that we uh began to talk about this as we did on Friday with folks. Folks who represent the region. It does not mean redefining what our communities are necessarily because there's so much strength in them. So it doesn't replace the plan. For example, David, you all have a very strong economic development plan with the Boone Chamber of Commerce. You have strong economic development plans in Wataga County, in Caldwell County, in Avery County, and the areas that are listening to this broadcast. So it's not to overwrite those plans, but it is to say, as a state, how can we help give a hand up to make those plans reality? So that wages are increasing, the education level of our residents is increasing, and that communities can be healthier and begin to work better together. It's important in this process that we improve the health care that's available for our rural communities, particularly. We have some real issues, David, with rural health care in Western North Carolina. There's some excellent federal support that's coming into the region and state support that's coming in the region to foster this and to help us provide better access and more affordable care. So there's several layers of this, but I think we start by creating a different vision. I hope this plan helps us do that, David. Leaders like you and others in the region are an intro, just an absolutely uh imperative part of this process. This isn't something being done to communities, but something that's being done with communities to lift the whole region.

SPEAKER_04 23:37

That's a great way to put a bow on that part of the conversation for sure. Uh, you know, we we saw the draft of this economic long-term uh recovery plan on Friday at the governor's task force meeting. What is next in the process? What other feedback are you hoping for?

SPEAKER_01 23:52

So today we're gonna have a meeting of our subcommittee. They've all had a chance now to digest this, to give us feedback and input. Uh we also solicited that from the folks who attended the meeting. And I'm happy to say, David, that I've gotten a good bit of feedback from that meeting from folks who are getting their first introduction into kind of what this process will be over the next several years. This isn't a plan that will go on a shelf. It will be iterative. It will be modified as funding comes or doesn't come. It will be modified as communities make decisions about directions for themselves. Uh, and so it will be a continuous process. But it will go to the governor later this week, given all the input that we've gotten. And then during the month of August, we'll be soliciting feedback in a variety of ways. And uh I'll let you um uh share that with folks. I will be doing some of that through our chambers of commerce in the region, which are a great source to reach out to businesses, particularly in community leadership, to give us additional feedback. So, final plan by the end of August. And then what I hope we'll all be doing as members of the governor's committee, we'll be sharing this in our local civic organizations with our local chambers and a lot of different uh ways that we'll communicate it because this will be a region-wide uh activity. One of the things, David, I know is from this, there'll be some policy changes that we hope to make. We'll be asking the uh Western North Carolina um uh group of uh chambers who have been working so well together post the storm to help us to lobby for some of the changes that we see need to be made in order to better support the region. So there'll be a lot more to come on this, a lot more conversation about it, and a lot more communication about it.

SPEAKER_04 25:37

Sharon, my final question for you and and gives you an opportunity to elaborate on a very important point, I believe, that you made a moment ago, and that this work is not meant to redefine a region, one that's got a lot of pride and has taken a you know decades and decades and generations to define itself or what it is and lean into those strengths. Uh, as you are working not only with partners like the task force, but the government agencies themselves and people that may not necessarily have great familiarity with all the uniqueness that Western North Carolina has, how do you begin to tell that story to make sure that as policies are developed, as funds are allocated, that you can do exactly what you said, maintain the integrity of this beautiful place, but also catch back up to some of the issues that have been caused by the storm and other economic factors?

SPEAKER_01 26:29

I think we have to solicit a lot of involvement, David. Many hands make small work, uh, someone once said. And this is a big lift. This is there's a lot that needs to be done to strengthen the economy of Western North Carolina. But I believe that working through our chambers of commerce, working through our councils of government, uh, working through our local uh governments, uh, working at the state level with the agencies involved, ensuring that everybody understands what we're trying to do and where we're headed. And that has to be a continuous process of communication and work together. So I would say we all got to stay in the game, David. We can't give up. This is not a short-term process of recovery. And I think we have to be honest with each other about it. I say to my friends and those of us who are in this work every day, and those of us who are living in recovery as residents, uh, we're in the marathon phase. And we got to keep encouraging each other, lifting each other up, identifying where we have problems and where things are not working well. We can't ignore them. We have to keep it, and we've got to keep all of this in front of folks and be the voices for those who are still recovering. We're not going away. This governor has made it very clear to me and all of us who are working on his team that we're not stopping. There's so much more work that needs to be done, and we're gonna stay in it, and we're gonna keep it in front of everybody's mind and in front of uh leadership's mind, both at a state and a federal level.

SPEAKER_04 28:01

Well, and and I'll close by saying I think one of the most encouraging parts about this is here two years later almost, you know, the uh continued bipartisan approach to this has been nothing short of inspirational. At a time where bipartisan support is not something that you often get a chance to talk about positively, right? But in this case, the state and and the federal delegation have stayed very unified. But then also I I'll give kudos to you and the Grow NC team for having staff on the ground in the region that help inform this work by the lived realities and not perceived realities. And I think that's been a big part of why this has been able to get to where it's I I couldn't agree with you more.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

David, I am so thankful and honored to have been asked to participate in this process as an advisor. And uh when I when I see the folks on the ground every day doing this work and the important that's placed on that by our governor and by the Grow NC team, the work that's happening legislatively around policy and funding, you're right, is bipartisan. It's wholehearted. Folks are serious about it. It's not about the politics, it's about getting Western North Carolina back on its feet. I'm honored to be a part of it. And I know, like you, we'll all continue to work together to keep things moving in the right direction.

SPEAKER_04 29:15

Absolutely. Well, Sharon, thank you for your time and your leadership, and we look forward to catching up more as this plan becomes uh official and becomes part of our playbook moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 29:24

Thank you, David. It's great to talk to you.

SPEAKER_04 29:27

Thanks for all you're doing to help lead us. Thanks to Sharon for such insight. And stay tuned as this plan is announced publicly. The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce does plan to coordinate some feedback opportunities that will inform the official version of this plan, which will be released later this fall. One last thing on the process: this is the type of plan that will need to be nimble as other opportunities are presented throughout the region. So the encouragement here is to continue down the roads that are yielding positive results away from Helene, such as the growing of local healthcare jobs in our community, establishing apprenticeships going across all industry, and working on fundamental issues like housing and childcare. These areas will show up as strengths as the long-term impact of this work continues and will provide the opportunity to see some real benefits of coordinated planning right here in the High Country. You are listening to Mind Your Business.

SPEAKER_00 30:26

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SPEAKER_03 31:07

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SPEAKER_04 31:18

A few weeks ago on the program, we told you about North Carolina Governor Josh Stein leading a bipartisan trip to Washington, D.C. to continue work with the North Carolina Congressional Delegation on Halene funding. For clarity's sake, the last congressional allocation of funding for Halene recovery came in December of 2024. You may remember that as part of the continuing resolution to fund the federal government. Ah, those were the days. The announcements on federal funding that you've heard in the news lately are simply allocations from those promised dollars being unlocked for specific uses. So think about it like this if your parents held on to your money when you were on vacation as a young child and then broke it out in small chunks over time, they didn't exactly give you any more money. They just gave it to you to spend during certain times. Governor Stein, the North Carolina General Assembly, Sharon Decker, who you heard from a few moments ago, and others, have been in lockstep about the need for additional funding, especially for infrastructure repairs and local community issues. Senator Ted Budd recently drew attention to the fact that further Halene funding was not part of the supplemental package that's being debated in Congress right now. And he went as far as to say he would not support any measure that did not include additional funding for Western North Carolina. Testifying before Senate colleagues earlier this week, he spoke to his reasoning once again.

SPEAKER_02 32:39

Chair Collins, Vice Chair Murray, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify this afternoon to provide a voice for the people in Western North Carolina. More than 21 months ago, Hurricane Helene unleashed an unprecedented amount of rainfall on the Blue Ridge Mountains, causing severe flooding and devastating landslides. The storm left behind tens of billions in damage. In December 2024, Congress responded by approving a disaster supplemental that provided billions of dollars to Western North Carolina recovery. Additionally, North Carolina's state government stepped up by committing roughly $2.4 billion in state appropriations and redirecting more than $2 billion from state agencies for reconstruction. But the Blue Ridge Mountains challenging terrain has made it uniquely difficult for federal programs to operate, resulting in delays and inefficiencies. And there's still work to be done. Too many projects in western North Carolina have stalled due to insufficient funding or because of financial shortfalls from expensive debris removal and rebuilding efforts. I greatly appreciate that President Trump and Secretary Mullen have empowered FEMA to more rapidly reimburse the state and local governments for public assistance projects. However, FEMA is only one part of the equation. The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other federal agencies play a key role in disaster recovery. And much of the existing disaster funding for those agencies has already largely been allocated. When I visit Western North Carolina, I see the impacts the delays in recovery have recall have caused. Debris still clogs the waterways. Facilities that provide drinking water and manage wastewater have yet to be rebuilt. Most concerning, some homeowners are paying mortgages on properties that are still unlivable or yet to be rebuilt. Towns have been forced to embrace expensive short-term stopgap solutions just to carry out their most basic functions for the residents. In the small town of Beach Mountain, there is no long-term water supply. The dam and water treatment plant were heavily damaged, forcing the town out of compliance with state safety standards. And as a result, the state could be finding Beach Mountain $25,000 per day. Most repairs are needed so that the water treatment plant can function long term. If funded, this process will take at least a year and require significant diversion of utilities andor daily water trucks just so hundreds of residents will have to have clean drinking water during construction. Three years is too long to wait after a disaster, and we can't delay any longer. Tourism, the lifeblood of much of Western North Carolina, has begun to rebound. There's still far too many areas that are unable to accommodate the travelers they once welcomed. But I want to highlight a few examples of success stories to show how ample funding for the last disaster supplemental, paired with exceptional planning and project execution, made an immediate impact on our mountain communities. Last July, portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway reopened after 57 landslides struck 200 miles of the parkway. This Memorial Day weekend, Lake Lore reopened to the public after an incredible debris removal and refilling project. And I want to be clear that I fully support President Trump's request to replenish our ammunition stockpile and strengthen our military. And I'm also appreciative of his efforts to provide economic assistance to farmers impacted by disasters and unfair trade practices. However, to address the long-term recovery needs of Western North Carolina, more federal funds are needed. Every time I'm in Western North Carolina, people ask me to make sure that they're not forgotten. This is Congress's chance to remind them that we're serious about helping them get back on their feet. I'm deeply grateful to the members of the committee for holding this hearing, and I look forward to continuing to work with you throughout this whole process. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 36:51

Last week, the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce and our advocacy task force released a statement of support towards Senator Budd, Governor Stein, and the elected members of our U.S. and state delegations who have remained united behind the efforts to promote Western North Carolina's continued recovery. Some of the recent rains have shown that we need to consider future resilience and stability. And the more this important advocacy work continues, the more we can move closer toward a time when our region is able to withstand whatever comes next. You are listening to Mind Your Business.

SPEAKER_03 37:24

Appalachian Commercial Real Estate provides professional commercial real estate services in the Boone area. They provide sales, leasing, consulting, and appraisal services to owners and users of commercial real estate. For more information, go to their website at Appalachian CRE.com.

SPEAKER_04 37:41

As we wrap up this week, I want to say thank you to all of you that have shared words of encouragement, support, and good wishes as the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce continued our path toward consideration for National Chamber of the Year. We were in New Orleans this week for the final interview where we got to speak about our region and our work with a panel of four judges from across the country. We also presented during a session at our national conference on positioning child care as an economic development priority and got the chance to learn from some other finalist communities that are doing similar work. We enjoyed talking about the high country on a national stage, and there's a lot of interest in what is going on right here in our backyard. We'd like to congratulate the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce from Jackson, Michigan for taking home the top award in our category. Their work is certainly representative of what you would expect from a national chamber of the year. We spent some quality time over seafood with their team, along with the team from the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce, also from Michigan, and enjoyed learning a lot about their communities. While we might not have brought home the top prize, to say that we are proud of our team in our community is an understatement. We are used to being the business that supports and cheers on other businesses. And to have you all flip that around on us hearing supportive words from so many of you and our local chamber colleagues. Well, that's exactly why we wanted to rush back home and get back to work, because this place is so special. In fact, we had a couple of members actually traveled to New Orleans so they could be there with us for this moment on the national stage. That's Boone and the High Country. We support our own. We felt that strongly in New Orleans, and we are excited to be back home and ready to support and encourage each of you as we all move forward together. So thanks again to all that supported the trip. We came back with lots of ideas, and we look forward to sharing those with you very soon. That'll do it for this week's Mind Your Business. This program was written and produced by the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to WATA for placing us on the airwaves once again this week. And thanks as always to James Milner and the team at Appalachian Commercial Real Estate for making the podcast version of this program possible. If you're not yet a subscriber, fix that today. Search for Mind Your Business wherever you get those podcasts. You can visit us online anytime at Boonechamber.com. Until next week, so long, everybody.