Damages in Haywood, Jackson and Macon counties account for about 20 percent of Western North Carolina’s $350 million in unmet needs from September’s hurricanes.

An official report has yet to be issued by the state’s Joint Select Committee on Hurricane Relief, as officials still are awaiting figures from two of the 19 counties identified to be in need. Those figures are expected within a week’s time,

“We want to be sure that when we get our figures together they cover all of our losses and needs,” said Rep. Phil Haire, D-Sylva, who serves as co-chair on the committee.

Avery County reported the highest total at just under $60 million. Two counties, Ashe and Allegheny, reported having no unmet needs.

Locally, Haywood reported unmet needs of $58 million. Macon is at $13.8 million and Jackson is at $1.35 million, said Joe McKinney, executive director of the Land of Sky Council, who is serving on the joint committee’s staff. Swain County did not suffer severe storm damage.

So far $90 million in state funds have been earmarked for hurricane relief and those funds are to be spread across the state in response to a total of six storms. The $90 million will be used as leverage to obtain federal matches of an estimated $172 million. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has already paid out about $62.5 million to individuals and families affected by hurricanes Ivan and Frances.

There has been discussion of calling a special legislative session to address hurricane relief efforts once the joint select committee’s report is issued. However, such a session is unlikely unless called by Gov. Mike Easley. Easley called such a special session in December to discuss incentives to lure a Dell Computer plant to the Triad area.

Legislators may only call a special session with approval from three-fifths of both the House and Senate. Contacting legislators and receiving a response in writing, then getting speakers of the House and Senate to agree upon a date, most likely would not occur before the legislature is scheduled to convene Jan. 26, Haire said.

However, Haire said he has pushed for a special session, as expediency is key to recovery.

“The further you get away from the actual incident itself the more you tend to forget,” he said.

If and when additional appropriations are made, they will come from the state’s “rainy day” fund, which contains $257 million, McKinney said. Additional money may be contributed to the fund, possibly bolstering the total relief package, Haire said.

In the meantime, Easley has appointed David Kelly to become the head of the Western Office of the North Carolina Redevelopment Center. The office, located in Asheville, has been set up to serve as a center for relief efforts and financial allocations.

“You’re not going to recover from this in a couple months,” Rolf Blizzard, chief of staff for Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, told representatives and county officials at an earlier meeting. “It’s going to take a series of years to get you back where you need to be.”