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The state spent more than $111 million on 55 disaster support sites after Helene caused widespread flooding and destruction across western North Carolina, according to a new auditor’s report.
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That averaged out to more than half a million dollars a day over a seven-month period, according to the report released Tuesday by the state auditor’s office.
If divided evenly, the cost would amount to just under $10,000 per site per day, though expenses varied widely by location.
Spending was concentrated among a small number of locations. The three most expensive sites — in Swannanoa, Mill Spring and Newton — accounted for roughly 59% of the total spending. The Swannanoa site alone accounted for about one-quarter of all costs.
A one-night stay in a single bed cost roughly $800, and the state was charged $85 an hour for general staff and $12,100 a week for site coordinators, the report says.
Those millions were fully reimbursed by the federal government and determined to be necessary and appropriate expenses, according to Jeffrey Smythe, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, which oversees North Carolina Emergency Management, in a letter responding to the findings.
State Auditor Dave Boliek, a Republican, said in a news release that “these base camps were an essential service in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene.”
“Now that we are in the long-term rebuilding phase of recovery, and knowing that future emergencies will strike, it is essential that we, as a state, have discussions on associated costs. $111 million is no small total, and the absence of key metrics raises a clear need to assess how these camps are utilized and consider the full return on the expense,” Boliek wrote.
Boliek’s reference to the “absence of key metrics” refers to the report’s finding that the company contracted by the state to manage the sites was not required to — and did not — provide usage data, such as the number of meals served, showers used or laundry loads completed.
The report refers to all 55 sites collectively as “base camps,” though they served different purposes. Some provided lodging, meals and operational support for first responders and state personnel, while others operated as comfort stations offering services such as meals, restrooms and showers to emergency workers and, in some cases, the public. The sites also included distribution centers, medical support facilities, polling locations and other disaster response operations.
The sites were established by NCEM in partnership with Texas-based disaster response contractor SLSCO Ltd.
The report notes that then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency after Helene, which under existing state law and procurement rules allowed agencies to bypass standard competitive bidding requirements for goods and services needed on an emergency basis. Even so, NCEM said it maintained a competitive bidding process whenever practical and selected SLSCO as the lowest responsive bidder.
The rates charged by SLSCO were set under contracts the company signed with NCEM in 2023, before Hurricane Helene.
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Under those agreements, SLSCO was not required to report those usage metrics.
Instead, the state paid fixed contract rates based on the expected number of people each site was designed to serve, rather than actual usage, says the report. That meant, for example, a single meal cost $41.67 whether or not it was actually eaten. Labor was handled differently, those costs were based on timesheets.
Smythe said pre-disaster contracts are maintained to ensure necessary goods and services are available for potential disaster deployments.
“Due to the criticality of emergency response, especially in catastrophic incidents, disaster contracts by their nature can be expensive, but are necessary actions to take when life safety is concerned,” Smythe wrote.
Smythe also said all invoices reviewed in the report had been reviewed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and undergone multiple federal reviews, with costs determined to be necessary and appropriate for reimbursement. He said the costs “have been reimbursed to the state at a cost share of 100%.”
He added that tracking the exact number of meals, showers and beds used may be useful for “day-to-day” procurement, but disaster contracts are designed to ensure communities and emergency responders have needed resources available during emergencies. The agency said it will continue following FEMA and state procurement requirements.
The largest expense category, accounting for nearly 48% of the $111 million total, was base camp and comfort station operations. Handwashing and shower services were the second-largest category, accounting for about 15% of spending, followed by yurts and tents, meals and meal support, and labor.
The News & Observer left a voicemail for SLS Vice President of Marketing Communications Kayla Orton but did not immediately receive a response.
It’s not the first time the auditor’s office looks at expenses for services offered by contractors post Helene.
A June 2025 report by the auditor’s office found that $27.4 million was spent by the state over the six months an Owen Pool Community Care Station in Swannanoa was open, averaging over $145,000 per day. The site provided showers, laundry, bathrooms, hygiene kits, counseling services, and potable water, and was staffed by workers paid $87.30 to $145.50 an hour plus a $215 daily per diem. SLSCO also operated the site and set the salaries.
Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, attributed the steep cost of recovery at that time to community need, citing residents who were without water or power for weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall in September, The N&O previously reported.
“We are always prudent when it comes to spending government money — taxpayer money,” Stein said at the press conference, The N&O reported.
Orton told the N&O at the time to “refer all inquiries to our client, North Carolina Emergency Management.”
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This story was originally published July 28, 2026 at 11:42 AM.