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 have a private road, culvert, or bridge that was damaged or destroyed following Tropical Storm Helene and you are located in an eligible disaster-declared county, complete the NC-PRB Interest Form. 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 diligently with state and local officials to upload and map all the addresses for those who submitted an interest form inside a secure GIS system. This system will enable the team to begin site assessments based on the priorities outlined in the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 signed by Governor Stein in March and identified as critical needs locally. We will contact you once your interest form has been reviewed and a status update is available. Our team will send out general updates monthly, and we also encourage you to look for updates on the PRB webpage. 

We recommend gathering proof of property ownership, such as deeds, mortgages, or any documents related to your submission to further streamline the process. 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 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 assessments. NC-PRB has assigned personnel and entered into an agreement with a consultant to ensure smooth program management, as well as retained more than 70 firms to assist in various capacities.

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

Rest assured, such federal assistance will not automatically disqualify you from participating in the state program, nor will we ask you to use any of that assistance to secure or pay for state projects.  If your private road or bridge is still in need of replacement, or you still have uncompleted repairs, submit the requested details at NC-PRB Interest Form. As the program progresses, you will be contacted for a review and assessment of your ongoing needs.

Your community organization can identify a single point of contact to submit an interest form on behalf of the entire community, and/or you can also still submit the requested information individually at NC-PRB Interest Form. 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 North Carolina Emergency Management Tropical Storm Helene PRB Program was established to facilitate permanent replacements and repair solutions. To be part of this program you can provide information about your circumstances on the NC-PRB Interest Form located on our website. However, if you have concerns about whether local first responders can immediately access your permanent residence, contact your county emergency management agency to request an assessment. If more immediate temporary assistance is warranted, your local officials will work with the state to help address those immediate temporary needs. In the case of any immediate health and safety emergencies at your location, call 911.

The PRB program was established to address remaining recovery needs for western North Carolina. Compensation for work previously performed is not eligible for coverage under the current program.

Currently, there are no deadlines for interest form submissions for this program. However, The Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part I Disaster Recovery Act authorization has established a $100 million budget for the program, so we are urging all property owners with remaining private road, culvert, and bridge damage from Helene to identify themselves through the intake form (NC-PRB Interest Form) as soon as possible. The program is committed to using its available resources to undertake as many qualifying projects as possible, but there is no guarantee that all projects will proceed, pending on-site assessments. If more immediate temporary assistance is warranted, contact your local emergency management agency to help address those immediate temporary needs.

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 inquiry, but we are unable at this time to provide individual status updates or timelines for those repairs. Our team will be sending out general updates monthly, and we also encourage you to look for updates 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 roll-out. 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 disaster-impacted counties based on safety and in compliance with the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025.

Our team will be sending updates monthly. We also encourage you to look for updates 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.