Gov. Glenn Youngkin has requested $4.4 billion from the federal government for recovery across Southwest Virginia after Hurricane Helene-related weather caused widespread flooding and wind damage in the region.
That request includes roughly $4.1 billion for Helene-related devastation and about $300 million for mitigation efforts to safeguard against future natural disasters.
The request, sent via letter to the Biden administration on Friday and obtained by Cardinal News on Monday, is a first glimpse into the total cost in damage to homes in Southwest Virginia due to Helene, as well as the total cost in damage to the economy, transportation, infrastructure, agriculture, and parks and recreation in the region.
“While our prepositioning of response resources from the Virginia National Guard, Virginia State Police and other law enforcement prevented additional deaths and injuries, the devastation to our farms, local businesses and critical infrastructure, tourism assets and homes has been widespread,” Youngkin wrote. “The severity of these impacts highlights the significant need for accelerated federal support.”
The cost of the storm
Financial assistance to rebuild homes, businesses, farms and other agricultural infrastructure were top-line items in the request.
Youngkin noted that roughly 10,000 residents had applied for individual assistance as of Nov. 12, including funds to repair or rebuild about 3,000 homes that were damaged or destroyed and some that are in need of inspection. Many homes in the region were not initially built to withstand floods. That, and a lack of flood insurance in the region, has created a unique set of challenges in the effort to rebuild.
In the immediate aftermath of Helene, 310,000 Virginia residents were without power, and the infrastructure used to deliver electricity was significantly damaged.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has determined that the storm damaged 735 roadways, 89 structures, 26 bridges and 63 culverts. After the storm, 484 primary and secondary roads and 118 bridges were closed. Most of those have since reopened, but as of Friday, 12 roads remained closed.
Critical infrastructure in Southwest Virginia, including water treatment facilities, sewage lines, municipal buildings, and drainage systems, had been damaged in the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has received 93 requests for public assistance from localities to repair damage to that infrastructure.
As of late October, nearly 3,700 farms in Virginia were determined to have been affected by the storm, with hundreds of millions of dollars estimated in financial impact to farmers and their communities, Youngkin noted. Regarding small and local businesses, Youngkin’s office estimated that the region suffered an economic impact of billions of dollars across the region due to Helene-related disruptions.
The Creeper Trail, an economic artery in the region, had also been cut off by Helene. Seventeen miles of the trail, known as the lifeblood of the town of Damascus and other localities, had been closed due to extensive flood damage.
“The continued closure of this 17-mile section threatens the economic vitality of Southwest Virginia, as tourism and related businesses depend on the trail’s accessibility,” Youngkin wrote.
He called for “adequate and immediate” funding to repair and reopen the closed portion of the trail as quickly as possible.
The New River State Park also sustained significant damage, including Claytor Lake, which is closed to this day due to excessive debris.
A breakdown of the requested money
Hurricane Helene caused widespread destruction and numerous fatalities across the Southeast United States. The storm moved inland after making landfall in Florida on Sept. 26. It brought wind gusts and historic levels of rainfall along with it.
Helene-related weather reached the Appalachian region on Sept. 27 and ground daily life across Southwest Virginia to a halt as flooding and wind damage ravaged 8,000 square miles of largely rural and agricultural land. The Southwest region of Virginia is home to a population of more than 620,000 people.
The storm caused significant economic disruption to the region, and it damaged and destroyed homes and critical infrastructure in the Virginia transportation system, the region’s public municipality systems, and national and state parks, according to Virginia’s Office of Hurricane Helene Recovery and Rebuilding.
Of the $4.4 billion Youngkin’s office requested from the federal government, about $4.1 billion would be slated for Helene-related recovery and roughly $300 million would be earmarked for mitigation efforts.
Here’s a breakdown of the recovery money requested:
- $1.9 billion to remedy the economic impact of the storm in Southwest Virginia
- $500 million to rebuild and repair housing
- $131 million to repair and rebuild transportation infrastructure
- $340 million to rebuild and repair other infrastructure
- $630 million to rebuild and repair agricultural producers
- $509 million to rebuild and repair parks and recreation
And here’s a breakdown of money to be earmarked for mitigation:
- $75 million to safeguard housing against future natural disasters
- $20 million to transportation infrastructure
- $51 million to other infrastructure
- $94 million to agricultural producers
- $76 million to parks and recreation
The $4.4 billion requested is in addition to the $30.5 million paid out by FEMA as of Thursday, according to Youngkin’s letter to Biden. An identical letter was sent to President-elect Donald Trump as part of the transition, as well as to U.S. House and Senate appropriations leadership: Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Reps. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.
