Gov. Josh Stein on Wednesday released an ambitious plan for rebuilding the economy in western North Carolina, a move that comes almost two years after Hurricane Helene became the deadliest and most economically destructive storm in state history.
The report claims inspiration for its decade-long approach from the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe following World War II — signaling the high stakes that Stein and his top advisors on Helene recovery believe are at play, as well as the large amount of investment they believe is still required.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Helene claimed the lives of more than 100 people and caused an estimated $60 billion in damage in the state. More than 73,000 homes were destroyed or damaged. So were many businesses, schools, roads, bridges and more.
“As the region emerges from the devastation, the state has an opportunity to ensure western North Carolina is not just rebuilt, but revitalized for long-term economic prosperity,” the report says, adding: “More financial support is needed, as the needs far exceed the financial commitment to this point.”
Stein, a Democrat, named Sharon Decker to serve as his senior advisor for long-term recovery from Helene and to lead the development of this plan. Decker served as the state’s commerce secretary under Republican former Gov. Pat McCrory. She has also been a longtime business leader in Polk County, a rural part of western North Carolina near Lake Lure.
“Western North Carolina has never lacked plans or ideas,” Decker said in a written statement Wednesday. “What we’ve lacked is one place where the region’s own priorities line up with the money to back them and the people who can act on them. That’s what this plan gives western North Carolinians, and it’s why we didn’t write it in Raleigh.”
She said the work was done on the ground in western North Carolina, in conjunction with local business, government and education officials. “The work now belongs to them,” Decker added. The plan contains detailed benchmarks to be used after five and 10 years to measure progress.
The report was published Wednesday as Stein prepared to depart on a tour of western North Carolina, starting Thursday and ending Sunday, which will mark two years to the day since Helene hit the state.
In the 117-page report, Stein praised his administration for getting roads and drinking water systems rebuilt quickly. He also praised the Republican-led state legislature for helping fund it, and commended local charities and churches for contributing their own time, money and manpower to the recovery efforts.
But he also acknowledged the substantial amount of work still to be done, noting that western North Carolina was already facing economic troubles that Helene only further highlighted — namely, the loss of more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs over the past 30 years and a struggle to replace that economic output.
Today, there are 16,000 fewer people working or looking for work in western North Carolina than there were a year before the storm hit on Sept. 27, 2024, he said in the report.
“Two years later, while the headlines have faded, more work remains,” Stein said in the report. “Helene deepened economic challenges these communities had been carrying for years: the loss of traditional industries, uneven job growth, housing costs that push working families out, aging water systems and roads, and long drives to reach a doctor or a classroom.”
The report outlines a number of goals. The nine-tiered economic development approach includes:
- Boosting the area’s tourism-based economy by protecting and promoting art, culture and nature that can draw people to the area.
- Supporting other major industries including healthcare, agriculture, mining and logging.
- Rebuilding damaged homes and building more affordable housing.
- Expanding the workforce through training and education, and by providing more — and more affordable — childcare.
- Improving road, rail and air access in and around Asheville, the region’s main city and economic engine.
The report sums up the goal of those efforts as being to generally balance and promote “environmental stewardship, community-driven initiatives, ample educational resources, and a diverse jobs base that includes advanced manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, arts, tourism and culture, education, and entrepreneurship.”
Stein said the work will take a truly combined effort.
“State and federal dollars, local knowledge, private investment, and philanthropy have to reinforce one another to turn good ideas into lasting results,” he said in the report. “While the state and federal government must provide financial and technical support, the direction for the region’s long-term future must come from its communities themselves.”