Josh Stein Turns First to Hurricane-Ravaged Western NC

 

Thursday, on his first full day in the office of governor, Josh Stein came to downtown Asheville and signed five executive orders to shore up, expand, and facilitate more aid to citizens wiped out or badly damaged by that notorious Lady of the Night Helene.

His Executive Order # 1 wiped away red tape for the immediate purchase of up to 1,000 "transportable temporary housing units" by the Department of Public Safety for deployment in the disaster counties.

Stein also gave power to the Division of Emergency Management to contract with certified vendors to repair private residential structures and roads, one of the greatest needs in the mountains.

Additional orders created the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC), a dedicated recovery office, and established a Division of Community Revitalization within the Department of Commerce to address housing needs and "community resilience."