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More than 100 people died as Helene tore through western North Carolina in September, destroying , and . The storm’s record-breaking devastation totaled $59.6 billion in damages and recovery needs. Recovery has been slow in parts of the region as some hard-hit mountain towns still appear ravaged by the storm nearly eight months later.

Navigating Helene recovery is one of the chief issues Stein has been tasked with handling upon his first few months in office. his administration took focused on rehabilitating the western part of the state, as well as establishing the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina.

“This recovery is going to take a long time,” Stein said Monday. “My administration, though, is in this for the long haul. I know that the legislature is as well.”

In March, state lawmakers passed — significantly less than the Stein had requested the month before. That package added to more than $1.1 billion in Helene recovery activities the year prior, according to Stein’s office.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved a $1.4 billion grant that would facilitate western North Carolina’s long-term recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency — the federal organization responsible for addressing some of the immediate needs in Helene’s aftermath — has also provided more than $700 million to state and local governments, as well as directly to North Carolinians.

Talks over FEMA’s effectiveness have ushered western North Carolina’s recovery process into the national spotlight as President Donald Trump has suggested the agency’s . As a candidate, Trump continually disparaged the agency’s work in the region, which garnered support from . Just last week, the agency’s acting chief David Richardson announced for the upcoming hurricane season.

Stein has called on the federal government to reform the agency but not to get rid of it, which he reiterated during his budget proposal announcement Monday.

More than a quarter of Stein’s proposal would go toward restoring local economies and their tourism industries. Another quarter would fund infrastructure repairs, debris cleanup and resiliency projects to better protect the region from future storms. Other allocations include addressing recovery needs such as housing assistance, fixing and , and food insecurity.

The state Senate has already approved and now awaits the House to release its plan this week. Then, state lawmakers can decide whether to incorporate some of Stein’s requests on Helene aid as the two chambers work out differences, with the goal of having a final budget enacted by July 1.