Tropical Storm Helene Private Road and Bridge Program

The North Carolina Private Road and Bridge Program (NC-PRB) was launched in the spring of 2025 to assist property owners across western North Carolina with damages from Helene. In accordance with the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part I, NC-PRB will prioritize repair or replacement to private roads or bridges that:

• Provide sole access for emergency services to residential properties occupied by the property owner for more than six months of the calendar year.
• Provide sole access to multiple residential homes, recreation or commercial facilities. 

If you are located in an eligible disaster-declared county and have a private road, culvert or bridge that was damaged or destroyed following Tropical Storm Helene, and you submitted your interest form prior to Sept. 1, 2025, you will be considered for a potential state-managed project. The priority for such sites will be those primary residences and businesses still lacking any emergency vehicle access whatsoever.  

If you have already performed such repairs, you may still be eligible for a partial reimbursement of those costs. The partial reimbursement application form opened on Sept. 1 and will remain open until Feb. 28, 2026.  If you need assistance completing the form, you can call NC Disaster Case Management at 1-844-746-2326. For a complete list of eligible counties, visit https://www.ncdps.gov/Helene/PRB. 

The NC-PRB team is working with state and local officials to identify and prioritize all the project sites for those who submitted an interest form. Projects identified as having critical needs, such as those with multiple permanent residences and no emergency vehicle access whatsoever, are being prioritized as outlined in the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 signed by Governor Stein in March.  

We will contact you once your interest form has been reviewed and a status update is available. Our team is sending out general updates monthly, and we also encourage you to look for updates on this webpage. 

We recommend gathering proof of property ownership (deeds, mortgages, etc.), proof of residency (such as voter ID and utility invoices), or any other documents related to your submission. If you are an individual property owner submitting an application for partial reimbursement, you will also be asked to submit a signed copy of your most recent tax return for income verification and prioritization.

If you have any changes to your circumstances or have new information to provide, please email ncemprb@ncdps.gov. Be sure to include your:  

• Name  
• Phone number  
• Address associated with the private road or bridge  
• Email  
• Description of the changed circumstance.  

If you need assistance, resources, or have general questions about the NC Private Roads and Bridges Program, please contact ncemprb@ncdps.gov or the Disaster Case Management Program at 1-844-746-2326 or online.  

Given the unmatched scale and scope of the Helene disaster, with thousands of North Carolina residents seeking property access assistance, we are diligently scaling up all the necessary resources to respond, review and assess each individual inquiry or application as soon as possible.

Completion estimates for repairs will depend on individual circumstances and can only be provided following the necessary state engineering and/or contractor awards. NC-PRB has assigned personnel and entered into a consulting agreement to ensure smooth program management, as well as retained more than 70 firms to assist in various capacities.  

All approved program projects, except for partial reimbursements and any grants provided to qualified volunteer or non-profit organizations, will be managed by the state with state-approved contractors and engineering firms.  

Documented out-of-pocket repair costs for completed work performed by third-party contractors may be eligible for partial reimbursement. The partial reimbursement application form opened on Sept. 1 and will remain open until Feb. 28, 2026.  Individual property reimbursement applications will be processed and disbursed according to homeowner income(s), lowest to highest. 

 Federal assistance will not automatically disqualify you from participating in the state program. As the program progresses, you will be contacted for a review and assessment of the benefits you’ve received and any ongoing needs. 

Your community organization should have identified a single point of contact to submit an interest form on behalf of the entire community. The state will work with the property owners, either directly or through appropriate homeowners’ associations or other community-based managers, to address any necessary repairs or replacements.  

As directed by Section 2C.1.(b) of the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part I, there will be a 50% cost sharing with the HOA for all construction costs for private roads or bridges that are owned by HOAs. 

The PRB program was established to address the property-access recovery needs for western North Carolina. If you have already performed such repairs, you may be eligible for a partial reimbursement of those costs. The partial reimbursement application form opened on Sept. 1 and will remain open until Feb. 28, 2026.  Individual property reimbursement applications will be prioritized for processing and disbursement based on homeowner income.  If you need assistance completing the form, you can call NC Disaster Case Management at 1-844-746-2326. For a complete list of eligible counties, visit https://www.ncdps.gov/Helene/PRB. 

Tropical Storm Helene Disaster Recovery Act authorizations established a $175 million budget for the program, including $25 million for partial reimbursements. Therefore, we are urging all property owners with completed private road, culvert and bridge repairs to apply for reimbursement as soon as possible prior to the anticipated closing of the application process on Feb. 28, 2026. The program is committed to using its available resources to undertake or partially reimburse as many qualifying projects as possible, but there is no guarantee that all projects will proceed, pending on-site assessments.

We are reviewing each inquiry individually and will respond as soon as possible with next steps. Due to the unmatched scale and scope of the damage in western North Carolina, we are diligently scaling up all necessary resources to respond, review and assess each individual official inquiry or application, but we are unable at this time to provide individual status updates or timelines for repairs. Our team is sending out general updates monthly, and we also encourage you to look for updates here on the PRB webpage. 

Please contact the program by e-mail at any time by emailing NCEMPRB@ncdps.gov. If there is any change to your circumstance, or other need to update your information, be sure to include your:

• Name
• Phone number
• Address associated with the private road or bridge
• Email in the body of the message
• And a description of any changed circumstance.

If you need additional recovery support, you can call NC Disaster Case Management at 1-844-746-2326. 

The NC-PRB team has finalized contracts with engineering firms to expedite the program’s progress. All on-site assessments have been completed, and dozens of projects have already been completed or are now underway. Additionally, collaboration continues with volunteer organizations and local governments to leverage all possible resources in this mission.

The NC-PRB team is mapping the locations submitted to prioritize projects based on necessary first-responder emergency vehicle access and in compliance with the Disaster Recovery Acts of 2025. We are also continuing to review partial reimbursement applications from the disaster-declared counties, which will continue until Feb. 28, 2026.

Our team is sending updates monthly. We also encourage you to look for updates here on the PRB Webpage.  

We understand the difficulties that you and many across the disaster area are facing and are committed to supporting your recovery.