USDOT head: Helene hit NC hard. We’re hitting back with largest relief package ever | Opinion
In an era where urban elites forget the devastation of rural communities one year later, the washed-out valleys of southern Appalachia remain fresh on the mind of the Trump administration.
Hurricane Helene left scars for the ages. Families lost loved ones. Neighbors lost homes. Residents lost faith in their government from the delinquent response to 40 trillion gallons of water discharging a flood of Biblical proportions.
As Transportation Secretary, I cannot bring back homes and family members. But I can restore confidence in federal leadership starting with the single largest allocation of emergency relief ever delivered to a single state in the history of my department. So on Tuesday, I announced North Carolina will receive an additional $1.15 billion to keep rebuilding. Our total commitment to Helene recovery is nearly $2 billion.
President Donald Trump promised to make reconstruction of Appalachian communities a top national priority. That’s why my first trip as Transportation Secretary was a visit to the severed artery of Interstate 40. My team immediately fast-tracked permitting to restitch this critical lifeline. We did so way ahead of my predecessor’s schedule, who said he may need years to repair the highway. Once back in office, President Trump and I put cars back on the road in a matter of weeks.
The last administration’s dismissiveness to the damage remains a scandal. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took three weeks to personally survey wreckage. Then he made a bunch of excuses why rural residents who lost everything would be on the waitlist for reconstruction. The best former President Joe Biden could do was a flyover.
President Trump beat Biden to the region in the flooding’s immediate aftermath and toured North Carolina just four days after his inauguration. The first visit of his second term to this storm-ravaged state demonstrated real leadership to an overlooked region by a president whose message was clear: North Carolina will never be forgotten.
We know recovery does not happen overnight. But we are not waiting either. My team has continued to work proactively to remove bureaucratic roadblocks to construction. From our partnerships with the Forest Service unlocking resource permits to collaborating with state partners on the path forward, we are pulling every lever to rebuild safely, quickly and efficiently.
The legacy of Helene is one of tragedy and resilience in the face of bureaucratic incompetence. North Carolina is building again, and we are engaged in a whole-of-government approach to ignite a renaissance across southern Appalachia. Rebuilding better today will prepare us for the storms tomorrow.
Sean P. Duffy is the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.
This story was originally published September 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.