North Carolina lawmakers are reconvening to address the billions in damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

RALEIGH, North Carolina — North Carolina state lawmakers returning to work Thursday to consider further relief from Hurricane Helene received an estimate of the monetary magnitude of the catastrophic flooding and what Gov. Roy Cooper wants to see. they soon spend on recovery efforts.

The Republican-dominated General Assembly scheduled a daylong session to consider additional funding and legislation four weeks after Helen crossed the Southeast and entered the western Carolina mountains from the North.

Earlier this month, lawmakers unanimously approved — and Cooper signed — an initial relief bill that included $273 million, mostly the state’s matching share to meet federal requirements in regarding disaster assistance programs. Lawmakers said it would be the first of many steps they would take to deal with the storm.

North Carolina state officials reported 96 deaths in Helene, which brought historic rainfall and flooding to the mountains in late September.

Thursday’s session comes a day after Cooper, a Democrat, unveiled his request for lawmakers to find $3.9 billion to help fund repairs and revitalization. The claim was included in a report from its Office of State Budget and Management, which calculated that Helene likely caused at least a record $53 billion in damages and recovery needs in the Western North Carolina.

Cooper said Wednesday that the state’s previous record for storm damage was $17 billion from Hurricane Florence, which hit eastern North Carolina in 2018.

State government coffers include several billion dollars that can be used for future stimulus spending. Nearly $4.5 billion is in the state’s savings reserve alone.

Cooper’s request includes $475 million for a grant recovery program for businesses in the hardest-hit areas; $325 million to quickly help homeowners and tenants with reconstruction and minor repairs; $225 million for grants to farmers for uninsured losses; and $100 million for capital needs of public schools and community colleges.

Agricultural and residential losses were expected to be particularly severe in damaged areas, as few farmers were covered by crop insurance and homeowners by flood insurance.

According to the budget office, the storm and its aftermath caused 1,400 landslides and damaged more than 160 water and sewer systems, at least 9,650 kilometers of roads, more than 1,000 bridges and culverts and approximately 126 000 houses.