WLOS — A bipartisan delegation from several WNC cities and counties is traveling to Washington D.C. to meet at the White House on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The delegation includes officials from Buncombe and Madison Counties, Canton, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock and Asheville.
Asheville’s Mayor Esther Manheimer spoke with News 13 ahead of her visit to the capitol.
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“We felt like we needed to make sure we were telling our story as a region and explain to the folks in congress, now that they have been here, they’ve seen it, what it looks like to be able to fix this and put us back on our feet,” Manheimer said.
The city’s request will figure to be in the billions; it includes a significant investment to repair the water system and create resiliency, address housing needs, help the business community, and rebuild infrastructure like parks, greenways, bridges, and roads that need repairing.
Below is the letter Manheimer will present to the White House on Wednesday on behalf of the city:
A delegation from Buncombe County will also be in attendance and has made specific funding requests as well.
Another official attending the meeting is Madison County Manager Rod Honeycutt, who also spoke with News 13.
“Madison County suffered catastrophic infrastructure losses and sustained long-term housing, economic, and continuity of government operations impacts,” he said in a statement to News 13. “Successful recovery will hinge upon stakeholders at every level providing resources.”
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The total federal and state request is $193.8, which is detailed below:
- Public Assistance Hurricane Helene Funding Request: $128.7 MIL
- Mitigation Funding Request: $25.6 MIL
- Resiliency/Future Funding: $20.5 MIL
- Long-Term Housing Recovery: $8 MIL
- Previous 2024 Legislative Request: $11 MIL
On Thursday, Nov. 21, the delegation will meet with Congressmen from North Carolina and various others, including Governor Roy Cooper and Governor-Elect Josh Stein.