Helene caused significant and widespread damage to WNC’s forests, waterways and farmland. The heavy rainfall and winds led to flooding, landslides, and debris flows that altered landscapes and disrupted ecosystems.
The grants supported:
WNC's active and dedicated network of nonprofits working in land and water conservation and protection pivoted immediately to deploy their experienced teams to clear trees, stabilize streambanks, assess water quality, develop plans and engage volunteers.
Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, 30 inches of localized rain and peak sustained winds of up to 60 miles per hour caused thousands of downed trees, damage to facilities and multiple landslides that weakened structural integrity and destroyed miles of trails and roadway. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail were also significantly impacted, and their repair is critical to the recreational economy and the well-being of communities.
"With the financial and moral support of CFWNC, Asheville GreenWorks was able to fully support our Helene cleanup efforts. We were able to outfit communities, volunteers and support our staff as we worked in our local communities." Photo courtesy of Asheville GreenWorks
"Our C4 Trail Team worked several days per week repairing trails and public access areas throughout WNC. With this grant, we were able to employ 5 trail employees that worked to revitalize several public access hiking and climbing areas, public access areas that stretch across several counties. In total, Carolina Climbers engaged 352 volunteers who contributed 2,514 hours of stewardship." Photo courtesy of Carolina Climbers
"MountainTrue remains involved with Hurricane Helene recovery work. With CFWNC funds, we hired a Cleanup Coordinator who has organized 3-5 river or land based cleanups per week. We have coordinated 584 volunteers to pull 122,980 pounds of debris out of our waterways. We also have 2 pilot programs that pay out-of-work river guides to pick up debris, one is based exclusively in Madison County." Photo courtesy of MountainTrue
Mitchell Giving Gardens received $47,750 to restore its community garden that was destroyed by Helene. "Our focus on fresh food is aligned with our mission and work before the storm. We chose to continue to focus on providing fresh food to people in Mitchell County because Hurricane Helene's widespread devastation in our rural communities disrupted food access, displaced families, and deepened economic instability in WNC." Photo courtesy of Mitchell Giving Gardens
UNC Asheville's STEAM Studio was awarded $200,000 to purchase equipment necessary to support a portable sawmill to process trees felled by Hurricane Helene, a project that will yield usable lumber for recovery efforts and also mitigate wildfire risks. Photo courtesy of CFWNC
RiverLink partnered with Wildlands Engineering to develop a river recovery planning methodology that can be applied in the many WNC waterways impacted by Helene. Using this approach, Wildlands created a recovery plan for a 6.9-mile stretch of the Swannanoa River—from U.S. 70 near the Ingles Distribution Center downstream to the western boundary of Warren Wilson College’s campus. Photo by Michael Oppenheim
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project received funding to provide support and resources to WNC farms with significant losses due to the hurricane. Hendersonville's Stump Farm hydroponics facilities were bady damaged by Helene. Photo courtesy of ASAP, by Camilla Calnan
