Virginia to Receive $46 Million in Federal Funds for Helene Relief Efforts

Federal lawmakers announced Tuesday that Virginia is receiving over $46 million to support the Commonwealth’s Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, which wreaked havoc in Southwest Virginia last September and left three Virginians dead.

The Route 725 bridge in Taylors Valley over Laurel Creek damaged by Hurricane Helene. (Courtesy of Virginia Department of Transportation).

Virginia Democratic U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that the $46,670,000 in federal funding was part of the disaster relief package that lawmakers passed to keep the federal government open until March 14.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated the funding from its Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program, which provides flexible funding to support long-term recovery efforts in impacted communities, including restoration of public infrastructure, homes, and businesses, and funding for job training, workforce development, and loans and grants to support economic revitalization and local businesses.

On Sept. 25, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency before Hurricane Helene roared across Southwest Virginia, spurring serious flooding and leaving millions of dollars in damages in its wake. The governor’s office announced in December that over 310,000 Virginians lost power due to severe damage to electric distribution infrastructure, and 484 primary and secondary roads and 118 bridges were closed.

“We’ve both visited Southwest Virginia in the wake of Hurricane Helene to hear directly from those impacted by the storm—and rebuilding those communities remains a top priority,” the senators said in a statement. “We were glad to secure these resources in the end-of-year package because this flexible funding is going to be critical to helping communities rebuild where it’s most needed. We will continue to support individuals across Southwest Virginia as they build back their homes, businesses, and communities.”

In the aftermath of the storm, Warner and Kaine joined local and state leaders in meeting with Virginians impacted by Hurricane Helene in Southwest Virginia to tour the damage and discuss federal support.

According to the senators’ offices, Kaine and Warner voted with federal lawmakers to pass a short-term government funding legislation that included $110 billion in disaster relief for communities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Last October, the offices said the senators also successfully urged the Biden Administration to submit a supplemental funding request to cover the costs associated with the hurricanes and successfully secured robust disaster relief funding for public lands and federal lands in Southwest Virginia.

In December, Youngkin laid out a $127 million proposal to support Virginians impacted by Helene. The plan includes $25 million from the General Fund and  $102 Million from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)’s 2023 final payment and interest.

Youngkin’s administration has sought to withdraw from RGGI, a program aimed to reduce climate changing emissions that has funneled hundreds of millions to the state to deal with the impacts of extreme weather events.

“Our fellow Virginians have suffered an unimaginable impact from Hurricane Helene. As we continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners on the path to recovery and rebuilding, the creation of the Disaster Assistance Fund is a critical step toward ensuring the Commonwealth has a reserve fund in place to address unmet needs where they exist in our communities in the wake of natural disasters,” Youngkin said in a statement.

Virginia opened five disaster recovery centers to assist Virginians since Oct. 7, 2024, with more projected in Southwest. The locations are in Damascus, Dublin, Independence, Marion and Tazewell.

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

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