This NC Helene recovery site cost $27.4M to operate for 6 months, auditor says
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State audit found NC relief site cost $27.4 million over 6 months post-Hurricane Helene.
- Average daily expenses reached $145,217 with $220 per laundry load reported.
- Auditor Dave Boliek urged more timely, transparent reviews of disaster relief stations.
A shower and laundry care station for Swannanoa residents cost $27.4 million during its six months in operation after Hurricane Helene, according to a report from the state auditor’s office.
A special report from the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor released Wednesday found the station’s staff was paid between $87.30 and $145.50 hourly — a rate not included in the station’s daily average cost. Also not included in the estimated cost was a $215 per diem for employees to cover business-related travel expenses.
The Swannanoa Shower and Laundry Station in Buncombe County operated for 189 days and provided public utilities, including showers, laundry services, bathrooms, access to cell towers and WiFi, and safe drinking water.
The station’s site at Owen Pool housed rows of generators, portable showers and tents dedicated to providing hygiene supplies and counseling services.
Daily operations cost an average of $145,217 from October 2024 through its closure in April. The Rapid Response Division estimates the total cost of laundry services to be $3.9 million, or $220 per load of laundry, according to the report.
In a Wednesday press release, State Auditor Dave Boliek acknowledged the importance of disaster relief but said “the government must always be cognizant of costs and routinely assess if we are making the most out of tax dollars.”
How many people used the facility?
Foot traffic was hand-counted based on people and cars, and there was no method for tracking individuals who reused the facility. OSA estimates there were about 40 to 60 visitors per day, which amounts to about 7,500 to 11,300 people who used the station throughout its 189 days of operation.
In the early days of Helene’s devastation, there were upwards of 100 visitors per day.
The state auditor’s Rapid Response Division requested a more frequent analysis of these Comfort Care Stations’ cost, use and need. The report also asked that station reviews be held from the start, rather than a month or more into its operations.
“Billions of dollars are spent on disaster relief, and North Carolinians deserve to know where those dollars are going, how much contracts cost, and what the end result is,” Boliek said in the press release. “The State Auditor’s Office will continue to evaluate dollars spent on hurricane relief. The more information we produce, the more can be learned about where improvements need (sic) be made in response to the next disaster.”
Buncombe County staff and emergency management determined the site was no longer needed. North Carolina Emergency Management funded the operation, according to an OSA spokesperson, Randy Brechbiel.
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
