The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the release of $1.6 billion in emergency rescue funds to help restore damaged infrastructure. The agency announced that 34 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories would be awarded funds to mitigate damage from natural disasters including hurricanes, storms and flooding. Sean Duffy said the funds mean rescue services arrive faster.
“Medical professionals can reach those in need,” said Duffy, transportation secretary. “And families can get the resources they need to recover.”
Sean McMaster, FHWA administrator, said the agency's work is essential to restoring broken transportation links.
The agency works with states as well as local, tribal and federal agencies in the aftermath of disaster to rebuild those links, McMaster said.
“We provide the necessary funding to restore mobility and help people regain a sense of normalcy in their daily lives following disruption.”
ARTBA noted the money can be used to restore facilities to pre-disaster conditions or modern standards, allowing for protective features.
That includes “raising roadway grades, relocating roads out of floodplains, upsizing culverts and installing scour protection,” ARTBA said about the funds.
North Carolina will receive $873 million to mitigate the effects of Hurricane Helene in 2024, said DOT.
The hurricane resulted in historic damage in western North Carolina. It caused more than 9,000 damage sites and more than 1,400 road closures.
DOT earmarked $81 million for the series of Kona Low storms in Hawaii in March of this year. The storms resulted in severe flooding throughout Hawaii.
Texas will receive $52 million for repairs in the wake of heavy rainfall throughout the state.
The natural disaster there included multiple bridge washouts including the FM 1431 bridge that connects Lago Vista and Marble Falls.
How States Tackle Storm Head On
Helene caused nearly $80 billion in damage. Staff from DOTs in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and North Carolina detailed the impact at ARTBA's national convention.
Speakers included Emily Fish, assistant state maintenance engineer of GDOT and Joe Deering, bureau chief of TDOT.
Patrick Norman, chief engineer, NCDOT, and Jennifer Marshall, chief engineer of production, FDOT, also spoke.
The hurricane resulted in washed-out roads and collapsed bridges. Communities were stranded when facilities and utilities went offline.
The ARTBA convention panel talked about the collaboration necessary to reconnect communities and restore critical infrastructure. In the panel discussion, they stressed that communication, preparedness and strong partnerships were crucial.
Marshall said years of hurricane experience in Florida enabled rapid staging in advance of the storm.
Crews, fuel, communications equipment, Starlink systems and emergency supplies were deployed before landfall. Because of this, teams were able to assess damage and begin recovery immediately.
She stressed that keeping the public informed with accurate, real-time information was just as important as rebuilding roads and bridges.
Fish said Georgia faced widespread communication outages and relied on Starlink technology to reconnect first responders during the critical first 72 hours.
She believes the storm reinforced the value of year-round training, emergency contracting readiness and resilience planning.
Norman described Helene as unlike any disaster North Carolina had previously experienced.
One of the most significant efforts was restoring access to the Baxter facility near Marion, a nationally critical manufacturer of IV solutions to U.S. hospitals.
ARTBA panel speakers recounted how teams installed a modular bridge to reconnect workers to the facility and help restore a vital healthcare supply chain.
North Carolina officials also stressed the need for stronger communication between state and local governments before disasters occur.
After their experiences with Hurricane Helene, they are now strengthening those relationships.
Speaking for Tennessee, Deering said real-time decision-making and collaboration were critical. In fact, senior leaders relocated closer to the affected area to speed response efforts. Recovery teams focused on restoring infrastructure, utilities and community access.
The state also highlighted its commitment to worker safety and the mental well-being of employees responding to the disaster.
Following their discussion at ARTBA's conference, agencies are applying the lessons of Helene. They are “strengthening emergency plans, improving communications capabilities, (and) investing in more resilient infrastructure,” said the association.
These agencies also are “taking a risk-based approach to protecting critical transportation corridors,” said ARTBA. “The panel underscored that transportation infrastructure is more than concrete and steel. During a disaster, it becomes a lifeline connecting communities to emergency services, healthcare, supplies and recovery.”
No Damaged State Left Behind
Duffy said the funds will help states accelerate critical repairs to roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by natural disasters and catastrophic events.
FHWA reports that in total the agency has invested $3.4 billion across all impacted states impacted by Hurricane Helene.
The $873 million in North Carolina, he said, will help finish the continued rebuild effort following Helene throughout the western part of the state.
In all, nearly $3 billion has gone to North Carolina alone. The DOT worked with federal and state partners to accelerate the I-40 recovery effort.
According to ttnews.com, North Carolina needed $425 million in emergency repairs and approximately $6 billion for public roads and bridges following Helene.
Transport Topics reported that the state received $1.15 billion for rebuilding efforts in 2025 under the same program.
The DOT said that year that overall emergency relief for Hurricane Helene repairs in the state had totaled $2 billion.
“More than 2 years after Hurricane Helene, roads in WNC remain impassable,” said Sen. Ted Budd. “This funding is an important step toward restoring reliable transportation & helping our communities move forward.”
The hurricane severely damaged I-40 through Pigeon River Gorge, a major freight corridor in the state, reported ttnews.com.
The estimated $2.8 billion reconstruction project is expected to be completed in 2029. One lane reopened in each direction at the Tennessee-North Carolina border in early 2025.
In 2024, the state DOT said that before the storm, an average of 30,000 vehicles traveled through the section each day.
“The Trump administration will never forget North Carolina,” said Duffy, who toured the state post-Helene in 2025.
He said with this final emergency relief package, the job can be finished and every community across western North Carolina can be made whole.
McMaster said FHWA has worked to deliver critical roadway and bridge repairs at record speed.
FHWA's Emergency Relief Program provides funding to help states perform repairs caused by major natural disasters and extreme weather events.
The agency announced that $5 million in emergency relief funds would go to repair road and bridge damage caused by Kona Low storms in March. Rebuilding projects include the H-3 Kionaole Road culvert and the Hana Highway MP 10.
“The Trump administration is committed to helping Hawaiian families recover from the storms,” said Duffy.
The Kona Low storms devastated critical transportation networks earlier this year.
“This is about ensuring our communities can reach necessary resources and rebuild after this natural disaster,” Duffy added.
FHWA is working closely with the HDOT to complete repairs that resulted from the storms as soon as possible,” said McMaster.
The funding “will help restore travel for residents who rely on these highways for their livelihoods and businesses that need them to move their goods,” he added. “FHWA will provide the federal support needed until Hawaii fully recovers from this event.”
The storms resulted in severe flooding throughout Hawaii. Roadways, bridges and other highway infrastructure were flooded because of water and debris. Further, many roads were not safe for travel and needed reconstruction and permanent reinforcement to restore stability.
These “quick release” funds are an initial installment of funds toward restoring essential transportation links, according to FHWA.
Additional funds needed to repair damage in Hawaii will be supported by the emergency relief program through nationwide funding allocations.
In August the DOT announced immediate availability of $26 million in emergency relief funds for the Indiana DOT to help with flood damage. During the month of August, Indiana was impacted by a 1,000-year rainfall event and derecho, the federal agency said.
These natural disasters disrupted the state's transportation infrastructure through widespread highway closures, bridge damage and debris.
The storm dropped up to 14 in. in 10 hours overwhelming transportation infrastructure and washing out many federal-aid roadways.
“Our hearts go out to the families across Indiana that were devastated by extreme flooding,” Duffy said in announcing the emergency funds release. “We're moving this emergency funding immediately to help the state reopen vital transportation links that residents rely on. This Department is committed to ensuring the state has the federal resources it needs to rebuild.”
The funding will help the state quickly fix broken transportation links, said McMaster, so people can get back to work, run businesses and return to daily routines.
With the funds, INDOT can move forward “expeditiously” with replacement of the collapsed Hazel Dell Parkway bridge in Carmel.
Repairs to Interstate 70, State Route 38 and multiple bridges in Wayne County, severely damaged during the storm, can quickly be launched.
Hazel Dell Parkway, with an annual daily traffic of more than 10,000, provides important north-south access for commuters, said FHWA.
