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North Carolina’s legislature passed more than $1 billion with two Helene recovery funding bills in October, but by mid-February, about two-thirds of that money still hadn’t been spent.

It has been six months since Helene ripped through Western North Carolina and perpetually altered life in the mountains. We check-in on recovery, communities, workers, and tourism half a year after Helene.

After weeks of deliberations at the state legislature, another round of Helene recovery funding has been signed into law.

The state Senate is moving forward this week with a half-billion-dollar Helene recovery bill, making minor revisions to the House's funding proposal.

Republicans in the N.C. House want to help farmers recover from last year's natural disasters with a new crop loss grant program.

The state House introduced a new $500 million Helene recovery funding bill Wednesday. The amount is about half of what Gov. Josh Stein proposed spending earlier this week, although the two plans for western North Carolina include many similar programs.

A state agency tasked with rebuilding homes damaged in hurricanes Matthew and Florence is asking the legislature for more money, saying it otherwise won't finish the long-delayed recovery from storms that hit North Carolina more than six years ago.

A legislative oversight committee heard from Gov. Josh Stein's administration about its work on rebuilding. House Speaker Destin Hall says the committee's work will lead to new legislation and state funding.

While much of the Helene relief supplies so far have come through private donations, community leaders in Mitchell County and across western North Carolina are asking for help from the state and federal government for the next phases of recovery.

The chief operating officer for the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency is no longer working in the position as of Wednesday. An office spokesperson confirmed Laura Hogshead is out of the role and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's legislative lobbyist Pryor Gibson will serve in the interim.