The amount of rain that Tropical Storm Helene unleashed over North Carolina was so intense, no amount of preparation could have entirely prevented the destruction that ensued.

But decisions made by state officials in the years leading up to Helene most likely made some of that damage worse, according to experts in building standards and disaster resilience.

Over the past 15 years, North Carolina lawmakers have rejected limits on construction on steep slopes, which might have reduced the number of homes lost to landslides; blocked a rule requiring homes to be elevated above the height of an expected flood; weakened protections for wetlands, increasing the risk of dangerous stormwater runoff; and slowed the adoption of updated building codes, making it harder for the state to qualify for federal climate-resilience grants.

Those decisions reflect the influence of North Carolina’s homebuilding industry, which has consistently fought rules forcing its members to construct homes to higher, more expensive standards, said Kim Wooten, an engineer who serves on the North Carolina Building Code Council, the group that sets homebuilding requirements for the state.

“The homebuilders association has fought every bill that has come before the General Assembly to try to improve life safety,” said Wooten, who works for Facilities Strategies Group, a company that specializes in building engineering.

Chris Millis, director of regulatory affairs for the North Carolina Home Builders Association, said his industry is focused on reducing housing costs, but “we do not pit affordability against regulations necessary for the protection of public safety.”

In 2009 and 2010, lawmakers from the state’s mountainous western region wanted statewide rules to restrict construction on slopes with a high or moderate risk of landslides. Their legislation failed in the face of pushback from the homebuilding and real estate industries, said Pricey Harrison, a state lawmaker who supported the restrictions.

Millis said statewide rules are unnecessary because local governments have rules about building on hillsides. Harrison said a statewide standard would be more effective.

Efforts to weaken building standards in North Carolina picked up steam after Republicans won control of both houses of the state Legislature in 2010.

In 2011, lawmakers proposed a law that limited the ability of local officials to account for sea-level rise in their planning.

Two years later, lawmakers overhauled the way North Carolina updates its building codes. That change attracted far less attention than the sea-level rule — but would be more consequential for Helene.

Every three years, the International Code Council, a nonprofit based in Washington, issues new model building codes developed by engineers, architects, homebuilders and local officials.

Most states adopt a version of those model codes, which reflect the latest advances in safety and design. But in 2013, the North Carolina Legislature decided that the state would update its codes every six years, instead of every three.

The change proved important. In 2015, the International Code Council added a requirement that new homes in flood zones be built at least 1 foot above the projected height of a major flood.

North Carolina did not adopt that version of the code until 2019. And even then, the state stripped out the new flood-prevention standard. Rather than make elevation mandatory in flood zones around North Carolina, the state decided that the requirement should only apply if local officials chose to adopt it.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, insurance money and federal recovery funds will fuel a rush of construction in the areas hit by the storm. Building standards will help determine how well that new construction fares against future disasters.