News

Davis Mountain Road, creeks and rivers get major Helene relief grants

By Lightning Reports, Published: June 9, 2026

Roadway and sewer line repair on Davis Mountain Road and $18 million for waterway debris removal were among the Hurricane Helene relief grants announced Monday by U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards.

The total relief package of more than $172 million in FEMA Hazard Mitigation and Public Assistance funds also included grants for Flat Rock, Laurel Park and Chimney Rock Village. Henderson County and the two towns received $35 million. Awards included:

• $18,148,157 to N.C. Emergency Management for Henderson County waterway debris removal
• $13,615,674 to NCDOT for Henderson County Davis Mountain Road and sewer repairs
• $1,321,240 to NCDOT for Henderson County Waters Road Bridge replacement
• $787,035 to the city of Hendersonville for water line and infrastructure repairs
• $321,129 to the Village of Flat Rock for park trail and rip-rap repairs
• $962,976 to the town of Laurel Park for road and culvert repairs
• $237,316 to Chimney Rock Village for covered bridge and water tank repairs
• $29,132,210 to Buncombe County for the acquisition and demolition of 62 flood and landslide-damaged properties
• $647,382 to Buncombe County to cover subrecipient management costs associated with the acquisition and demolition project
• $172,895 to Polk County for grant management

“Securing these funds is critical to finally moving from recovery to rebuilding,” Edwards said in a news release. “These resources allow us to get to work restoring our roads, rebuilding our bridges, and repairing the infrastructure Western North Carolina depends on every single day to keep communities connected and moving forward.”