Responding to the widespread devastation from Hurricane Helene will cost so much that it’ll set other road and bridge construction work back by years, state business leaders told reporters Thursday, as North Carolina braces for the upcoming 2025 hurricane season and whatever additional damage that might bring.

Meanwhile, Gov. Josh Stein raised alarms of his own during a separate briefing Thursday, saying President Donald Trump's cuts to federal spending will hurt efforts to predict and respond to natural disasters in the future. That will only end up leading to more damage and an even larger burden on North Carolina taxpayers to fix the damage, he said.

"Cuts to NOAA and FEMA are a man-made disaster," Stein said. "We need these critical agencies to help us anticipate and respond to natur

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