ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Two years after Tropical Storm Helene upended communities and businesses across Western North Carolina, state leaders are looking beyond rebuilding what was lost and toward what the region’s economy should look like years from now.
Gov. Josh Stein and the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, known as GROW NC, have unveiled a long-term economic recovery plan aimed at strengthening the region’s workforce, infrastructure and economy.
The Western North Carolina Economic Recovery Plan was developed with input from 28 counties, the Qualla Boundary, five regional councils of government, chambers of commerce and economic development organizations.
The plan does not come with a new appropriation of money. Instead, it is intended to bring existing regional strategies together and help communities coordinate funding and priorities as recovery moves from emergency response and rebuilding into a longer-term effort.
“Western North Carolinians got to work rebuilding the moment Helene passed, and they know best how to keep moving forward,” Stein said. “That is why this long-term economic recovery plan takes the priorities the region set for itself and puts the state’s weight behind them.”
The plan covers a broad range of needs, from infrastructure and housing to workforce development, health care, tourism and agriculture.
Among its goals are strengthening the workforce, improving rail, air and highway connections, promoting tourism and outdoor recreation, expanding the region’s craft economy, growing agriculture and food processing and supporting local leadership.
Sharon Decker, GROW NC’s senior adviser for long-term recovery, said the idea was not to create another plan in Raleigh and hand it to communities.
“Western North Carolina has never lacked plans or ideas,” Decker said. “What we’ve lacked is one place where the region’s own priorities line up with the money to back them and the people who can act on them.”
Decker said counties, chambers, community colleges, business owners and councils of government helped build the plan.
The effort comes as Western North Carolina continues to recover from Helene while confronting economic challenges that existed before the storm.
According to the governor’s office, the region’s labor force declined by more than 16,000 people between April 2023 and April 2026, adding another challenge as communities work to rebuild housing, infrastructure and businesses.
Some pieces of the long-term strategy are already underway.
In July, the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded $34.2 million for seven Western North Carolina projects. That included $29.2 million for a planned 70,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing workforce and innovation hub in Buncombe County known as the Western North Carolina Futures Factory.
Another effort, Good Jobs WNC, brings together 11 community colleges to connect people with jobs and training opportunities. The initiative is working across 23 counties and is targeting roughly 1,200 jobs.
At the same time, plenty of recovery work remains.
As of July, 99% of drinking water systems damaged by Helene had been restored, according to the governor’s office. But the administration says more than $758 million in unmet federal needs remain for water system repairs and improvements.
More than 99% of roads closed or affected by Helene have reopened, while more than $105 million in grants and loans have gone to nearly 3,000 small businesses, helping retain nearly 15,000 jobs, according to the governor’s office.
Housing remains another major piece of the recovery. Through Renew NC and volunteer organizations, more than 1,250 homes have been repaired or rebuilt. The state also has announced 828 new affordable rental units through Renew NC’s multifamily program.
Stein continues to ask Congress for more than $10 billion in additional Helene recovery funding. His proposal includes money for housing, infrastructure and economic recovery, as well as assistance for small businesses and local governments and repairs to private roads, bridges, dams, streambanks and federal highways.
Matt Calabria, director of GROW NC, said the region has made substantial progress but still faces years of work.
“There’s much more to do to restore transportation infrastructure, rebuild water systems, and get survivors back into safe housing,” Calabria said.
The goal, Calabria said, is to make sure rebuilding from Helene is connected to what Western North Carolina needs for the years ahead.