Hurricane Helene damage estimated at $53bn, as US relief bill passes

North Carolina lawmakers have passed almost $900m in disaster relief, but that’s still way short of the likely cost.

Lawmakers in the state of North Carolina have passed almost $900m in aid spending for Hurricane Helene disaster relief, but they say that is only a preliminary figure as the final bill is still being calculated.

State legislators unanimously passed $604m in additional funding on Thursday, on top of $273m that was previously approved.

But the catastrophic flooding and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina last month likely caused at least a record $53bn in damages and recovery needs, the state’s Governor Roy Cooper announced a day earlier.

If confirmed, this figure would make Helene the 10th costliest weather disaster in the United States since 1980, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The estimate only includes damages in North Carolina, but Helene devastated parts of multiple states in the US Southeast, killing 214 people, so the final cost could rank higher.