EPA allocates disaster relief funding to strengthen water infrastructure after Hurricane Helene

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced more than $100 million in disaster relief funding to help southeastern states recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene and build more resilient water systems.

The funding announcements were made on September 30, one day prior to the government shutdown.

A total of $48 million was distributed across North Carolina ($21 million), Florida ($17 million), Georgia ($6 million), South Carolina ($2 million), and Tennessee ($2 million) to support immediate recovery of drinking water and wastewater systems damaged by the storm.

In addition, Tennessee received a separate $58 million allocation to strengthen long-term water infrastructure resiliency. The funds will flow through the state’s Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs), as well as a new Decentralized Clean Water SRF created to address septic system resilience. These programs will provide low-interest loans with principal forgiveness for eligible projects such as treatment plant upgrades, septic-to-sewer connections, and distribution system improvements.

EPA officials emphasized that the allocations are designed both to support recovery and to help communities withstand future climate-driven disasters. “Access to safe, clean water is critical, especially in the most difficult of times,” said EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle in a press release.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida in September 2024 as a Category 4 storm, bringing catastrophic flooding to six states and prompting multiple federal disaster declarations.