Leaders in the state legislature are debating the next steps to help western North Carolina recover, months after Helene devastated the region. Just days into the new year, Gov. Josh Stein created a new office to coordinate those efforts and legislators are asking how it works. It’s called the “Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina,” or “Grow NC” for short. This organization is supposed to coordinate the response of multiple other agencies in rebuilding western North Carolina.”This entity will be responsible for consistent communication, accountability and transparency,” said Jonathan Krebs. “Their roles are to provide the day-to-day operational, technical guidance on the most minute detail.” At Thursday’s hearing, Krebs and Stephanie McGarrah introduced the office to state legislators to the subcommittee on hurricane response and recovery.Both of them are a part of agencies associated with Grow NC and both said they’re committed to serving some of the most vulnerable …
