ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — On his first day in office, Gov. Josh Stein visited Asheville and, earlier in the day, signed five executive orders to bring much-needed relief to people in Western North Carolina.

“The needs facing this region are vast and require immediate attention. I pledge to do everything in my power as governor to accelerate recovery,” Stein said during his stop in Asheville on Thursday afternoon.

Tens of thousands of houses were damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene, leaving more than 12,000 WNC residents without safe housing. And an estimated 8,000 private roads and bridges need to be repaired or replaced to reinstate access to emergency services, school buses and other transportation, Stein said.

“When I have met with affected folks here in the mountains, the need for housing assistance and the repairing of private bridges and roads has come up in nearly every conversation,” the governor said.

The governor’s first two executive orders received concurrence by the Council of State and will temporarily waive procurement regulations:

  • To increase the supply of temporary housing in Western North Carolina
  • To enable the state to accelerate repair of private roads and bridges necessary to access homes

Three additional executive orders will:

  • Reorganize the Executive Branch to create the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), a dedicated recovery office for Western North Carolina within the office of the governor and to establish a Division of Community Revitalization within the Department of Commerce to address housing needs and community resilience.
  • Establish a Governor’s Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery to advise GROW NC to meet the community’s needs quickly and cost-effectively.
  • Direct the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources to authorize an additional 16 hours of Community Service Leave for state employees to volunteer for organized storm-related efforts.

“Folks have to have a safe place to live,” Stein said. “As we’re in the coldest months of the year, it is urgent that people have warm and safe places to live now.”

Stein said the state is trying to get as much work completed as possible because the federal government is pledging financial help.

“We will be ultimately reimbursed,” the governor said. “President (Joe) Biden granted Gov. (Roy) Cooper’s request to have 100 percent reimbursement of these initial expenses for the first six months. And, as you know we’re still in those first six months. What we want to do is get as much of this important done within six months as we possibly can because FEMA has guaranteed to reimburse us at 100 percent.”

Stein said he would also be working with the General Assembly to strategically fill in the gaps of what’s needed to serve people’s needs.

“Getting people back in their homes as quickly as possible is our most important job. So is supporting small businesses so they can make it through this tough winter season and have an opportunity to succeed to make up for the lost revenue that they experienced in the third quarter last year.”

Another key component to that help is the Small Business Administration.

“There were many, many small businesses that applied for funding through the SBA. They didn’t have any money. They could accept the application,” he said.

However, the agency did not have the funds to help local businesses with their recovery. But Congress re-funded the SBA last month, meaning businesses may get loans now.

“The problem is there are many small businesses that are already carrying a lot of debt and can’t take on any more,” Stein said. “So we have to be very creative and come up with a different kind of program, a grant program that can help businesses stay alive, continue to grow and operate so that when people start coming back, they’re still here. Because if they fail, if they don’t make it, there’s going to be a cascading pain that goes throughout Western North Carolina. We cannot have that happen.”

Stein’s first executive orders:

“Today’s actions represent just our first steps on the path to recovery. They keep us moving forward. The road ahead of us is long. But we are in it for the long haul,” Stein said. “We will act with urgency, focus, transparency and accountability. We want every dollar dedicated to recovery — whether federal state, local or charitable — to be spent as efficiently and powerfully and quickly as possible. That’s why I’m committed to doing everything in my power to accelerate relief. And get it to where it needs to go as soon and it’s cost effectively as possible. That’s what the people of Western North Carolina deserve.