Governor Josh Stein Signs Five Helene Recovery Executive Orders in First Action as Governor

Raleigh, NC - On January 2, 2025, Governor Josh Stein signed five executive orders to bring much-needed relief to people in western North Carolina, including accelerating temporary housing and the repair of private roads and bridges.

Right now, with tens of thousands of houses damaged or destroyed, more than 12,000 western North Carolinians are 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.

“Winter is here in western North Carolina, and we must act quickly to get people in temporary housing, repair private roads and bridges, and keep people safe,” said Governor Josh Stein. “I will do everything in my power to make sure we are both thinking creatively and acting swiftly to help our neighbors recover.”

Governor Stein’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 and
• 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, and
• 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.

Access Governor Josh Stein’s first executive orders below:

• Executive Order No. 1 Increasing Temporary Housing Supply in Western NC
• Executive Order No. 2 Repairing Roads and Bridges
• Executive Order No. 3 Reorganizing Executive Branch to Meet Needs of Western NC
• Executive Order No. 4 Establishing Advisory Committee on Western NC Recovery
• Executive Order No. 5 OSHR Exceptions - Helene Relief