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Buncombe County outlines long-term recovery plan process and survey after Helene
Summary
Buncombe County staff described a county-led long-term recovery planning process to help communities affected by Tropical Storm Helene, including a short community survey, FEMA support for plan writing and a target to produce draft plans by September and a consolidated plan by October–November.
Buncombe County officials on Wednesday described a county-led long-term recovery planning effort that will compile community-specific projects and priorities after Tropical Storm Helene.
Jeremiah Leroy, introduced as Buncombe County’s sustainability director and the county’s deputy recovery officer, told the Black Mountain Town Council that the county will use a project-specific recovery plan to prioritize funding applications and that FEMA’s Community Assistance Group is helping write the plan. The county’s approach emphasizes local control: each town will preserve authority over the projects and priorities it submits, while the county will seek to align regional projects for funding opportunities.
Leroy said the county has posted an online “Envision Momentum” survey to collect residents’ priorities; the survey remains open through the end of the month and will be shared with towns as soon as responses close. Survey results will inform draft projects and the county expects to circulate draft plans for elected-official review by September, with final adoption targeted for late October or early November — roughly the one-year anniversary of the storm.
Leroy said the plan will be project-specific (for example, naming a particular affordable-housing site rather than a general housing goal), which streamlines applications for emerging funding sources. He noted the planning effort will use lessons from other disaster responses, including Lyons, Colo., and Lahaina, Maui, and will seek public input and feedback at both the idea and draft stages.
Leroy also reminded residents that the county’s Healing Resource Center at 94 Cox Avenue in downtown Asheville remains open weekdays for FEMA individual assistance, disaster case management, small-business loans and survivorship resources.
Ending: Leroy said the county aims to build a unified plan while preserving local control over town-specific projects. Council members were invited to review town-level survey results and to work with county staff to develop local project lists.
