When a hurricane washes out a highway or a bridge collapses under floodwaters, the damage doesn't end when the storm passes. Emergency crews struggle to reach neighborhoods, businesses lose customers, and families can find themselves cut off from work, school and essential services.
With the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season already underway, the Trump administration is investing nearly $1.9 billion to help states repair those critical transportation lifelines before the next major storm strikes.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced $1.86 billion in Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Emergency Relief funding to restore roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure damaged by hurricanes, floods, mudslides and other natural disasters.
The largest share of the funding, more than $908 million, will continue repairs from Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread destruction across the Southeast, washing out roads, damaging hundreds of bridges and isolating communities for days in some areas, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The latest investment brings the federal government's total commitment for Hurricane Helene transportation recovery to $3.4 billion, including $2.9 billion for North Carolina, according to USDOT.
The announcement comes as the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, enters one of the busiest times of the year. Forecasters have once again predicted an above-average hurricane season, increasing the likelihood that transportation agencies could face additional storm damage before recovery efforts from previous disasters are complete, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The funding isn't limited to Hurricane Helene recovery. The remaining dollars will help states repair transportation infrastructure damaged by 2024 flooding and mudslides, 2025 storms and flooding in Arizona, multiple atmospheric river events across the western United States and other federally declared disasters, according to USDOT.
Extreme weather is becoming one of the biggest challenges facing the nation's transportation network. Flooding, stronger storms, wildfires and landslides have damaged thousands of miles of highways and hundreds of bridges over the past decade, forcing states to spend billions on emergency repairs and long-term rebuilding projects, according to the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
Restoring roads and bridges is about more than replacing pavement and concrete. Reopening transportation corridors allows emergency responders to reach communities faster, helps businesses move goods, restores supply chains and gives residents access to schools, hospitals and jobs after disasters.
"When transportation links are broken, this causes interruption to people's lives and our economy," FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster said. "Getting them back up and running again is essential."
The FHWA's Emergency Relief Program reimburses states for repairing federal-aid highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters and catastrophic events. Funding can also cover emergency work, including debris removal, temporary bridges, slope stabilization and other measures needed to quickly restore safe travel, according to the FHWA.
Transportation agencies also spend months preparing before hurricanes make landfall. Crews inspect bridges, clear storm drains, stage heavy equipment, monitor vulnerable roadways and develop emergency traffic plans to speed evacuations and reopen critical routes after a storm, according to the Federal Highway Administration and the National Hurricane Center.
As forecasters continue monitoring the Atlantic basin this hurricane season, transportation agencies across the country are preparing for whatever comes next while many communities are still rebuilding from the storms they've already endured.
Sources: USDOT, National Hurricane Center, Federal Highway Administration, NOAA, U.S. Global Change Research Program
