On Tuesday, Josh Stein, the newly inaugurated governor of North Carolina, and Adrianne Todman, the head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, visited Old Fort and saw firsthand some of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
Tuesday morning, Stein arrived on Catawba Avenue and was greeted by Old Fort Mayor Pam Snypes and other local leaders.
Emergency Services Director Will Kehler, left, speaks with Old Fort Mayor Pam Snypes, center, and Gov. Josh Stein in downtown Old Fort on Tuesday.
Snypes showed Stein the ruins of the Mauney House, the structure that served as the office of the state’s Mountain Gateway Museum. Snypes said the hurricane destroyed the house, leaving it a dilapidated structure.
The mayor and other town leaders, including Mayor Pro Tem Iretha Hancock, Alderman Wayne Stafford and Police Chief and Alderman Melvin Lytle, described to the governor how water from Mill Creek rose and washed away homes in Old Fort.
Amy Davis, left, owner of Davis Country Store, meets with Old Fort Mayor Pam Snypes, center, and Gov. Josh Stein on Jan. 7.
Stein heard how Helene impacted Old Fort’s infrastructure, particularly the water and sewer systems. After visiting Catawba Avenue and Main Street, Stein and town officials visited the town’s sewer treatment plant.
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Snypes, Stein and Lytle met with Amy Davis, owner of the Davis Country Store and president of the Old Fort Business Association. She said her restaurant at Davis Country Store provided 29,000 meals to the people in Old Fort after Hurricane Helene hit.
Debris left by Hurricane Helene sits around the Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort on Jan. 7. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein met with city officials and community members to check in on cleanup and relief efforts in the area.
Afterwards, Stein visited a trailer on Old U.S. Highway 70, which is now the home of Stephanie Grooms. The 64-year-old said she lived in a doublewide mobile home along Old U.S. Highway 70 West past Old Fort. She had to evacuate as Hurricane Helene approached.
When Grooms came back home a few days later, her home was gone. Flooding caused by the hurricane destroyed her home, she said.
Grooms lived in a motel until Grace Community Church reached out to her about a new place to live. Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the church got Grooms set up with a new trailer so she could live in the same spot as before. The trailer was installed on Monday.
Stephanie Grooms, left, thanks Grace Community Church members, who helped facilitate getting her a mobile home from FEMA, during a meeting with N.C. Gov. Josh Stein in Old Fort on Jan. 7. Grooms lost her home of 25 years during Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
“Grace Community Church in Marion, North Carolina, has done more than anything anyone could ever ask for,†Grooms said.
Grooms told Stein she considers herself fortunate compared to others.
“There’s a lot of people living in tents and it’s been cold and the weather’s been harsh,†she said.
Grooms also commended the work of the American Red Cross, the National Guard, and local churches in meeting the needs of Hurricane Helene’s victims.
Stephanie Grooms, left, shares her experiences of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene with Gov. Josh Stein outside the trailer provided to her by FEMA.
“I am very grateful,†Grooms said. “I feel very blessed. I just want anyone that is out there still in a tent, in a sleeping bag, whether they are this or that, just to have shelter.â€
Stein said he recently issued an executive order to speed up the installation of the temporary travel trailers.
On Monday, Stein issued an executive order to temporarily waive federal limits on the amount of time drivers transporting propane and other heating fuels can be on the road, ensuring heating materials get to people in need quickly, according to a news release.
Todman, who is the acting director of HUD, joined the governor at Grooms’ new trailer.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, left, greets U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development leader Adrianne Todman in Old Fort on Jan. 7. Stein and Todman met with community members and government officials in western North Carolina.
Later on Tuesday in Asheville, the two announced the allocation of nearly $12 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds for communities across 24 states and territories.
HUD allocated more than $1.6 billion to North Carolina, including $225 million to the city of Asheville and $1.2 billion to the state for disaster-impacted communities statewide.
Old Fort Mayor Pam Snypes, left, Gov. Josh Stein, center, and Old Fort Police Chief and Alderman Melvin Lytle had lunch at Davis Country Store on Tuesday.
“Over the last two years, too many communities have been impacted by devastating disasters — damaging homes, destroying infrastructure, and stretching local capacity to recover,†Todman said.
“This $12 billion in disaster recovery funds will help rebuild homes, develop affordable housing, assist impacted small businesses, and repair roads, schools, water treatment plants and other critical infrastructure.
The funding can be used to:
- Replace damaged affordable housing and build it back more resiliently.
- Strengthen infrastructure through repairs, upgrades and activities to increase the resilience of public facilities and infrastructure.
- Support economic revitalization including support for small businesses, creation of jobs and assistance for residents.
- Implement disaster mitigation measures to reduce risk of damage from future extreme weather and disaster events.
