Hurricane Helene Recovery Funding
Summary
The county is spending $1.5 million from the Helene Bond on roads FEMA won't reimburse — ones damaged by detour traffic, debris-clearing trucks, and erosion that only showed up after FEMA's first look. This gets those roads fixed but draws down the disaster bond fund.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 9
- Last 30 days
- 0
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Sep 21, 2026.
Impact analysis
$1.5 million from the Helene Bond, with no FEMA reimbursement expected.
Residents and travelers on the indirectly damaged county roads get repairs they otherwise wouldn't.
Local residents, business owners, and families whose homes and livelihoods were damaged by the storm are bearing the brunt of this disaster.
Mentions & discussions (10)
Carter County Commission Meeting — 2026-09-21
The county is spending $1.5 million from the Helene Bond on roads FEMA won't reimburse — ones damaged by detour traffic, debris-clearing trucks, and erosion that only showed up after FEMA's first look. This gets those roads fixed but draws down the disaster bond fund.
Carter County Commission Meeting — 2026-08-17
Commissioners moved another $741,000 in Helene bond money to fix storm-damaged roads like Sugar Hollow, Roanwood, Burbank and Cove Creek, and let the Finance Director hire short-term help to finish remaining road and bridge projects.
Carter County Commission — July 20, 2026
The county is going after Community Development Block Grant disaster recovery money to repair public infrastructure damaged by Tropical Storm Helene. The mayor is now authorized to apply and sign all the paperwork.
Special Called Carter County Commission — June 29, 2026
Commissioners approved a $1.2 million Helene Bond Fund amendment, with $315,600 coming from Helene bond proceeds.
Carter County Commission — June 15, 2026
The board approved a $3.76 million Helene Bond fund amendment and heard that a roughly $1 million state reimbursement is moving slowly due to fiscal year-end at both the county and TEMA.
Carter County Commission — May 18, 2026
The commission approved $14.36 million in Helene Bond Fund spending, and the finance director reported TEMA approved Amendment 2, unlocking a reimbursement request of nearly $3 million for work already completed.
Carter County Commission — April 20, 2026
The county expects to request about $3 million in FEMA reimbursements soon and has $3.4 million in FEMA mitigation money lined up for county roads with no local match required. Recovery dollars keep flowing, but federal shutdown and competing disasters elsewhere in Tennessee are slowing things down.
Carter County Commission — February 17, 2026
Mitigation funds have hit $3 million with 31 of 42 projects obligated, and a new $4 million no-match disaster recovery grant is coming that could fund resurfacing on 50+ county roads. The county is also wrapping up reimbursement claims.
Carter County Commission — January 20, 2026
42 recovery projects are in the FEMA portal, about halfway obligated. The county is still waiting on millions in reimbursements, and the dispute over the Schaus disaster-recovery contractor centers on whether losing that expertise risks those funds.
Hurricane Helene in East Tennessee: Our photos from Elizabethton and Hampton in Carter County, TN
Hurricane Helene in East Tennessee: Our photos from Elizabethton and Hampton in Carter County, TN Knoxville News Sentinel
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