RALEIGH, N.C. — As Western North Carolina recovers from Hurricane Helene, one office is tasked with overseeing how billions of recovery dollars are spent. However, one of the biggest hurdles has been getting those funds released.

Gov. Josh Stein created the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, or GROW NC, as one of his first acts in office nine months ago.

It does not distribute funds but monitors how they're spent. Director Matt Calabria sat down with WCNC Charlotte about their efforts so far—and how it has changed.

As of mid-September, Calabria has overseen $2.9 billion in state funds and $1.6 billion in federal funds since the office's creation.

"Unfortunately, recovery is not cheap," Calabria said. "We have to remove the debris from our waterways and our roadways.

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