The Land of Sky Regional Council has been at the forefront of economic recovery and development following Hurricane Helene. As a regional planning and development organization serving in many ways including job creation, job retention, entrepreneurship, and economic competitiveness, their role in business support has grown in the last quarter of 2024.

Mountain Area Workforce Development Board Assistant Director Barbara Darby said Land of Sky helped businesses with connectivity in the early days following the storm. Offering Starlink equipment, refurbished laptops, and iPads right away helped many businesses that lost their technology resume communication and operation. Connecting businesses with resources and referrals offered support and direction for those struggling with various stages of reopening.

Into 2025, many of WNC’s small businesses will continue to rely on support, and many will shift business models altogether. Millions of dollars in funding has been made available for small business loans, but following COVID in 2020 and Tropical Storm Fred in 2021, many businesses are not able to take on new loans, and others may not be comfortable repaying large sums with interest. As the business landscape will remain affected for months and years, help in determining proper resources or restructuring operations will remain a priority for many.

“So many of our businesses want to stay afloat, but they may need a small business rebuild consultant to guide them through the process,” Darby said. “So many small business needs have been changed by the hurricane, so we have to reassess what they need, consolidate the resources, and share that.”

With many area businesses either directly affected by wind or water destruction or secondary effects from damaged infrastructure, especially water systems, a large concern for the area is maintaining its workforce. Many individuals were laid off, lost their business completely, lost their homes, or a combination of those issues, and many had to relocate, even if temporarily, to outside areas to find work, shelter, or both. As the area was experiencing a housing challenge before the storm, and thousands of housing units have been destroyed or damaged, the housing and workforce issues have been further exacerbated.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions has received funding from the US Department of Labor to launch a temporary employment program aimed at addressing the damage and needs caused by Hurricane Helene. This program provides jobs for up to a year, where participants can help with cleanup, labor, or humanitarian work for public, private, or nonprofit organizations in FEMA-approved counties. Local Workforce Development Boards across the state manage these funds, connecting eligible individuals with employers who need help recovering from the disaster.

According to Nathan Ramsey, Executive Director of the Land of Sky Regional Council, a 27-county region in Western North Carolina received an initial $250,000 to begin this initiative; however, the funding is effectively unlimited as once 60% of the first distributed amount is spent, more federal money will be made available.

Beginning in January, program participants can pay individuals a minimum of $15 per hour for up to 2,080 hours. These jobs can replace work for individuals who have been dislocated or who have lost their job, and with the jump in unemployment rate in the last several months of 2024, these jobs can help entire communities recover.

“This initiative can provide organizations some key resources that they wouldn’t necessarily have to pay for,” Ramsey said. “Our area has a lot of dislocated workers and this is a temporary solution, so we are going to continue trying to find permanent solutions for these workers as well.”

“For the longer term, in a conversation with a FEMA representative, his thought is that this is going to take 10 to 12 years to rebuild, and it’s going to look different,” Darby said. “We’re going to get a lot of money initially, but we’re going to need money for the long term.”

Historically, the 1916 flood was a bad time for Asheville and the WNC area. The growth trajectory of Asheville was remarkable into the 1920s, but could possibly have been even more so if the 1916 disaster had not occurred. Currently, there is a lot of economic activity stimulated by federal and state monies being injected into the region, in addition to philanthropy and other sources. The more those funds are able to go to local firms and local contractors, the greater the long-term positive impact of those funds on our economy. 

“If you read the national news, almost every story starts out talking about what an awesome place this is,” Ramsey said. “It’s a place people want to be, it’s known for its thriving economy, and it’s known for all of its natural splendor. After the flood of 1916, people didn’t quit coming. If the last weeks have shown us anything, it’s that if we can keep up the collaboration and the goodness that is happening in our community, there’s no telling what we can do.”