The bridge after the storm: School launches NC Local Government Disaster Recovery Portal with regional partners
Well over a year after Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina, many communities remain deeply engaged in recovery. While the emergency phase has passed, local governments continue to navigate long-term financial, administrative, and infrastructure challenges left by the storm. Officials are balancing day-to-day service delivery with complex grant management, rebuilding efforts, and compliance requirements that will continue for years. In response, and together with statewide partners, the School of Government supported local governments through training, practical guidance, office hours, and an evolving set of recovery resources tailored to long-term recovery needs.
Now, the School of Government is proud to announce the launch of the NC Local Government Disaster Recovery Portal, a one-stop, centralized resource to help local governments impacted by Hurricane Helene access disaster-recovery funding, training, and practical guidance. This website brings together current funding opportunities, tools, and recovery resources in a single, reliable platform to support communities affected by natural disasters.
The portal is a joint effort of the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), UNC School of Government, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, North Carolina League of Municipalities, Lead for North Carolina, Western Carolina University, and High Country, Western Piedmont, Foothills Regional Commission, Southwestern Commission, Land-of-Sky, and Centralina Councils of Government.
Launched in January 2026, the portal will be kept up to date with relevant and useful information—including upcoming disaster recovery office hours, identification of funding sources, a calendar of training events, contact information, and an expansive resource library.
Kara Millonzi, who co-led this project on behalf of the School with Western North Carolina Recovery Navigator Amanda Stratton, helped design the portal as a starting point for local governments looking to rebuild—with all the necessary resources they need at their fingertips.
“For many local governments in western North Carolina, the hardest part of recovery is not identifying that help exists but navigating how to access it and manage it over time. This portal is designed to reduce that friction. It brings together funding opportunities, technical assistance, and trusted partners in one place, so communities can focus less on searching for information and more on making progress. The structure is flexible and durable, allowing it to evolve alongside recovery needs and be reused after future disasters.”
The portal’s goal is to simplify access to information and assistance so that local governments can recover more efficiently, make informed decisions, and successfully navigate complex funding and compliance requirements necessitated by the damage left in Hurricane Helene’s wake.
The partners aimed to create a portal that would unite communities across western North Carolina through easy access to the support they need to rebuild to an even stronger position after the disaster.
The portal will not just document recovery from Helene but continue to serve as a resource for resilience in the future.
“The intent of the portal is for it to be evergreen,” said Dean Aimee Wall. “It should stand as a resource for local governments—if and when—the next disaster hits our state.”
Published February 5, 2026