Tens of billions in aid for victims of Hurricane Helene should start flowing later this month, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins pledged Wednesday, but delays are already making it hard this year for some farmers to plant crops.

RALEIGH — State lawmakers are weighing a bill that could make it easier to replace homes and businesses lost in the floodwaters as western North Carolina rebuilds from Hurricane Helene.

It’s been more than five months since Hurricane Helene devastated several states across the Southeast. In North Carolina, where Helene killed more than 100 people and caused nearly $60 billion in damage,