Top NC GOP budget writer from Helene-ravaged area says more funding is on the way

Crews work to repair a railroad bridge on a section of Norfolk Southern’s AS Line near Old Fort, east of Asheville, on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. A 15-mile section of track, including a series of remote tunnels and horseshoe curves as it climbs and descends the Eastern Continental Divide, was severely damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Helene in 2024.