NC Department of Commerce Disaster Recovery Grants is sponsored by NC Department of Commerce. The NC Department of Commerce manages some state and federal funding for recovery programs that help North Carolina communities rebuild after natural disasters and public health emergencies. Disaster Category: Arts & Culture.

Disaster Recovery | NC Commerce North Carolina often faces the challenge of recovering from natural disasters, and both state and federal funding fuel the recovery programs that help North Carolina communities rebuild in a smart, comprehensive way. A division of our agency administers a $1. 4 billion federal recovery grant for western North Carolina, following Hurricane Helene.

Detailed information about this grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and our Division of Community Revitalization (DCR) and its Renew NC programs can be found at this team's website: WEBSITE | Commerce Recovery - DCR Commerce's Rural Division also offers support through: A program to rebuild damaged infrastructure, known as the Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program.

Learn more about all the different sources of help in the sections below.

Overview | Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery Program Action Plan and Citizen Participation Plan Declared Disaster Area Counties Affected County Labor & Economic Statistics Supporting Documents & Presentations Overview | Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery Program The Division of Community Revitalization within our agency administers a $1.

4 billion federal grant designed to address unmet hurricane recovery needs in Western North Carolina, with a particular focus on housing. This team publishes details of the Division's work at their website, CommerceRecovery. nc.

gov. The federal grant comes from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development agency (HUD), through its Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery program (CDBG-DR). We are no longer accepting applications for the first program under the HUD grant, known as the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program . The deadline to apply was January 31, 2026.

The application process remains open for the second program under the HUD grant, known as the Renew NC Small Rental Rehabilitation Program . An Action Plan for managing the HUD grant was submitted to the federal government on March 26, 2025 and HUD approved North Carolina's Action Plan on April 25, 2025.

The Action Plan, following required guidelines from HUD, can address three broad areas of recovery: housing, infrastructure, and economic vitality.

This western North Carolina CDBG-DR grant has no connection with previous CDBG-DR grants managed by the North Carolina Office of Recovery & Resiliency (NCORR) Action Plan and Citizen Participation Plan The State of North Carolina developed and submitted to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) agency what's known as an Action Plan for the federal CDBG-Disaster Recovery grant.

Review the approved plan and earlier proposals at the Division of Community Revitalization's website: Approved HUD CDBG-DR Action Plan for Hurricane Helene Declared Disaster Area Counties Federally Declared Disaster Counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey counties as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina Affected County Labor & Economic Statistics The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated 39 counties in North Carolina eligible for Hurricane Helene disaster recovery funds.

To aid counties in applying for FEMA and other relief programs, the Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) has prepared economic and labor market data reflecting conditions prior to the storm, available here: Labor Market Data for Helene-Impacted Counties The file includes the following county-level information: Labor force statistics, including the number of employed individuals, the size of the labor force, and the unemployment rate Private business establishments’ jobs and average weekly wages in current dollars, both at the total, all industries level and the industry sector level Private business establishment counts, both as a whole and by employee size groups Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in current dollars Demographics by sex, race, ethnicity, age, and educational attainment Housing data, including counts of owner- and renter-occupied units and median housing costs in current dollars Tourism and total taxable retail sales amounts in current dollars For additional inquiries or assistance, please send an e-mail to lead@commerce.

nc. gov . Supporting Documents & Presentations Other Supporting Documents Report | Damage and Needs Assessment, Hurricane Helene Recovery (N.

C. OSBM, December 13, 2024) Presentation | N. C.

Proposed HUD Action Plan (CDBG-DR) Overview - February 2025 Public Hearings Presentation | GROW NC • NCGA House Select Committee, January 29, 2025 Information and Resources Overview | Small Business Infrastructure Grants (for Local Governments) Information and Resources We publish links to the many federal and state programs that can help your North Carolina business recover and rebuild, following the impact of Hurricane Helene in September 2024, particularly in the western parts of the state.

This portal offers extensive resources and guidance on how your business can access recovery support. Published by a collaborative of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Small Business Technology Development Center (SBTDC), the N. C.

Community College's Small Business Center Network, the N. C. Rural Center, the GoldenLEAF Foundation, N.

C. Emergency Management, and the U.S. Small Business and Economic Development Administrations. The Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative offers a grant program for small businesses, providing as much as $50,000 to qualifying applicants.

State of N. C.

Central Information Portal for Hurricane Helene List of U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Opportunities List of Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARCs) (Offices) Open in North Carolina Overview | Small Business Infrastructure Grants (for Local Governments) Local governments in North Carolina located in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for grants from the new Small Business Infrastructure Grant Program (SmBIZ) , a $55 million dollar fund designed to rebuild the damaged infrastructure that small businesses rely on to operate and thrive.

Individual grant awards up to $1 million are available from this program.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance NCWorks - Assistance for Workers & Employers Federal Small Business Administration (SBA) Assistance Dislocated Worker Grant - Helene Disaster Unemployment Assistance A special unemployment insurance benefits program known as Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) supports residents that experience a disruption in employment due to a federally declared disaster.

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits were available to people in the 39 counties (as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) impacted by Hurricane Helene. The deadline to apply has passed and no further claims for DUA can be accepted.

Counties eligible to receive DUA benefits include: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lee, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Nash, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey counties, plus the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Residents with questions about DUA unemployment assistance can check online at des. nc. gov or by calling the DUA Hotline .

NCWorks - Assistance for Workers & Employers NCWorks Career Centers are Open to Help Residents in Impacted Counties NCWorks Career Centers provide free services to help connect NC jobseekers with employers and are open for people that need internet or computer access to apply for Unemployment Insurance.

NCWorks Career Centers also help employers find workers and post job openings, including those related to the recovery from Hurricane Helene. Visit nc. works/Helene to learn more.

The Hurricane Helene Business Edge Fund made $500,000 in grant funding available to local workforce boards most impacted by the storm to help western North Carolina communities retain jobs and businesses. Workforce development boards in the region may apply for funding and then may provide grants of up to $10,000 each to eligible businesses and community-based organizations.

To apply, businesses should contact their local workforce development board or NCWorks Career Center. Updates on weather-related closings are available at nc. works/closings .

Residents can call the NCWorks Career Center system at 1-855-NCWorks (855-629-6757). Hours of operation vary by center, and some are not open every weekday. Find more information about locations at www.

NCWorks. gov . Federal Small Business Administration (SBA) Assistance SBA Declarations 20701 & 20702 | Hurricane Helene NC 20701 & 20702 Fact Sheet, Disaster Loans NC 20701 & 20702 Press release U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Programs SBA personnel are available at several physical locations known as Multi-Agency Resource Centers, or MARCs across the western part of the state.

Small Business Owners Can Apply for Disaster Assistance and Loans through SBA U.S. SBA Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to help business and homeowners recover from federally declared disasters.

SBA announced both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans for businesses and residents of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Small businesses and nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are only eligible to apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs): Cabarrus, Cherokee, Graham, Iredell, Surry, Union, and Yadkin.

You can apply here: MySBA Loan Portal Dislocated Worker Grant - Helene The United States Department of Labor awarded North Carolina a Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant to provide jobs and training services in areas that were severely impacted by Hurricane Helene. The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions requested this grant.

To apply for the Hurricane Helene dislocated worker grant program, residents should contact their local NCWorks Career Center. Contact information is available at ncworks. gov .

VisitNC, North Carolina's tourism promotion unit, publishes regular travel advisories and updates on the many opportunities to visit western North Carolina destinations , many of which are open and back to welcoming visitors.

Tropical Storm Chantal - July 2025 Tropical Storm Chantal - July 2025 SBA Declarations 21206 & 21207 | Tropical Depression Chantal NC 21206 & 21207 Fact Sheet, Disaster Loans SBA personnel are available at several physical locations to support the Tropical Depression Chantal disaster in central North Carolina.

You can apply here: MySBA Loan Portal Divisions & Programs | Community Revitalization Website | Commerce Recovery (Division of Community Revitalization - DCR) Website | ReBuildNC: Eastern N. C. Recovery Information This page was last modified on 03/17/2026