ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Governor Glenn Youngkin announced his proposed budget, setting aside $127 million dollars to create a new disaster assistance fund. He says that money will help fill the gaps between federal and private funding to rebuild communities after Helene’s impact.
If that proposed disaster relief fund is approved by the general assembly next year, the money would go to support safety and housing-related recovery efforts for costs not covered by federal assistance, private donations or insurance.
Governor Youngkin said to WFXR News, that he was devastated seeing the damage after visiting southwest Virginia in the weeks following hurricane Helene, but he was also inspired by the grit of local community members, and their determination to rebuild. He says the commonwealth’s economy right now, is strong enough to set aside 127 million dollars to pay for something he has wanted since he took office: a permanent relief fund.
“We’ll work during the general assembly session, which starts right after the new year, in order to craft specific appropriation language to support people in southwest Virginia. We will also then have a permanent fund, which I think we should put money in routinely to be prepared should we have disasters like this in the future,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin, “I think this is good governance, but I also think it’s meeting the needs of these amazing Virginians who are going to rebuild better lives than even the ones they had before hurricane Helene.”
Governor Youngkin says he’s grateful to Congress introducing its own disaster supplemental bill with over $100 billion in relief funding for multiple agencies for recovery and rebuilding, including $6 billion to the forestry service, which owns portions of the Creeper Trail in Damascus.
“I look forward to going to work to make sure that one day we’re going to clip a ribbon after the Creeper Trail is rebuilt and it is going to be even more vibrant and it is going to draw even more people to southwest Virginia than she ever has before,” said Governor Youngkin.
Governor Youngkinsaid he has wanted to create this disaster relief fund since he was elected. and now that he’s entering his final year as Governor…
“I’m very excited by the fact that three years of work has translated into Virginia being the best state in America for business. For us, seeing more people move here than move away for the first time in ten years for us to have record job growth and as a result, driving our ability through record receipts and surplus after surplus to again provide record tax relief and record investment in education and law enforcement and behavioral health,” said Governor Youngkin.