Help Shape the Future of Recovery 

Residents can help shape the County’s post-Helene recovery priorities and 2030 Strategic Plan by completing a short survey at engage.buncombecounty.org/envisionbuncombe. 

Before the storm devastated many parts of the community, Buncombe County Commissioners were working to shape strategic priorities for the next five-year Strategic Plan. In the wake of Helene, those priorities may look different. As the County develops the long-term strategy for recovery, we want to ensure every voice is at the table. 

The Response to Recovery Model charts the trajectory of typical disaster recovery timelines. In the case of Helene, the Buncombe County immediate response, or emergency response, was significantly slowed due to the ongoing water outages due to the extensive damage to our public water infrastructure. 

The Response to Recovery Model charts the typical trajectory of disaster recovery.

Recovery Support Functions

Buncombe County has established a recovery framework, in alignment with state and federal frameworks, that includes seven Recovery Support Functions (RSFs) centered on the most critical issues for our County to coordinate recovery operations. These RSFs include task forces led by our County to ensure recovery efforts prioritize the needs and concerns of our residents. Task forces also include a variety of local, state, and federal partners that can offer support and coordinate community-based recovery activities. Each Recovery Support Function is aligned with long-term goals and will coordinate resources, track progress, and meet specific needs within the community. Currently, each RSF is working to develop a Task Force of subject matter experts to identify intermediate recovery needs within their scope, a develop strategies to address those needs.

Think of Recovery Support Functions as focus areas for rebuilding our community. RSFs include the following categories:

• Debris Management​
• Economic Revitalization
• Health and Social Services/ Education
• Housing
• Infrastructure
• Natural and Cultural Resources

Buncombe County Recovery Support Functions include debris management, economic revitalization, health and social services, housing, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources.

Debris Management

Helene Spend Tracking Dashboard

This Helene-specific dashboard reflects Buncombe County spending and potential spending activity related to Tropical Storm Helene. It is the intention of Buncombe County to seek reimbursement for Helene related spending, where allowable. Data is refreshed on a monthly basis and totals may change as spending activity is further evaluated as to how it relates to the disaster.