North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced $5.7 million in grants Monday to support flood mitigation projects in Western North Carolina.
The funding is expected to go toward eight projects in the French Broad River Basin aimed at restoring floodplains damaged in Hurricane Helene, improving water quality, and reducing flooding risks from future storms.
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The grants are a part of the state's $96 million Flood Resiliency Blueprint Program, an initiative created by the North Carolina General Assembly to reduce flooding risks across major river basins. The grants announced Monday are in addition to the $3.16 million previously awarded to projects in the French Broad River Basin in 2024 and 2025.
The Flood Resiliency Blueprint has now committed more than $40 million to support over 80 projects statewide.
The program was created by the General Assembly and Department of Environmental Quality in 2021 to help local governments and agencies plan for flooding risks. It funds projects that limit the extent and severity of floods, allowing communities to recover more quickly and limit future risk as storms become more frequent and severe.
It supports projects at several river basins: Cape Fear, French Broad, Lumber, Neuse, Tar-Pamlico and White Oak.