Buncombe hires recovery officer to lead 31 post-Helene projects

Buncombe County has hired Kevin Madsen as a dedicated Helene Recovery Officer to coordinate 31 post-Helene recovery and resilience projects across the county. County officials say the slate of work ranges from landslide mitigation to building resilience hubs and upgrading weather monitoring equipment, and will be carried out as multi-year efforts.

Madsen told county leaders that projects will take one to five years and emphasized the goal of "building back better" with more resilient systems and central community resources so residents can more easily access information and support after storms. The timeline reflects both the scale of engineering work on steep slopes and the need to line up federal funding and intergovernmental coordination.

Funding for the projects is expected to come from federal sources such as FEMA, and county staff are working with municipal partners to identify priorities and local needs. Early examples under consideration include work in Biltmore Forest and Black Mountain, reflecting a countywide approach that stretches from suburban neighborhoods to mountain towns where downhill runoff and narrow roads complicate emergency response.

For residents, the immediate effects will vary: some neighborhoods may see geotechnical investigations and slope stabilization this year, while other efforts - such as putting resilience hubs in place and installing upgraded weather sensors - will roll out more slowly. Centralized community resources are meant to shorten the distance between flood or landslide warnings and help on the ground, improving access to post-storm information and services when roads and utilities are disrupted.

The county's recovery plan and project list are available at buncombenc.gov, where officials encourage residents to monitor updates and sign up for emergency alerts. Coordination among county and municipal governments aims to minimize duplicate work and direct federal dollars to the most vulnerable sites.

The Helene recovery program ties into broader shifts in how communities prepare for stronger, more frequent storms. For Buncombe residents that means construction noise and temporary detours in some areas, but also investments intended to reduce future damage and speed emergency response.

The takeaway? Expect phased, visible projects over the next several years - keep an eye on buncombenc.gov for specific timelines and shelter or hub locations, document storm damage promptly for potential aid, and view this as long-term work to make our mountain communities tougher when the next system hits. Our two cents? Stay informed, stay safe, and treat resilience projects as neighborhood infrastructure you can track and benefit from.