Buncombe County urges residents to update emergency kits before hurricane season

Buncombe County is telling residents to update emergency kits now, before Atlantic hurricane season opens June 1 and the next storm tests power lines, roads and water systems. The warning lands as Buncombe County and the City of Asheville continue to live with the aftereffects of Helene, flood recovery and the reality that mountain weather can turn fast.

Emergency Manager Scott Krien said households should plan for three to seven days of basic needs, with a kit that can carry a family through the first stretch of an outage or evacuation. County guidance lists a first-aid kit, a weather radio with extra batteries, prescription medications, sleeping bags or warm blankets, extra clothing, personal hygiene items, cash and supplies for pets among the items that belong in that kit. Children, older adults and people with disabilities need special consideration when families are assembling supplies.

The county’s preparedness guidance says every household should make a plan, build a kit and stay informed, with enough food, water and other essentials for at least 72 hours for every member of the household, including pets. Officials also say important papers, insurance policies and photos or videos of belongings should be kept in a waterproof container with the kit, so they can be grabbed quickly if a home is hit by power loss, road washouts or a communications outage. Some emergencies, the county says, can require evacuations from homes, hotels, workplaces, schools and businesses.

Water is a particular concern in the mountains. During Hurricane Preparedness Week messaging, the county said residents should keep one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation, and it reminded people that many in the region were without water for more than 50 days after Tropical Storm Helene. Krien also stressed that leaving when ordered protects both residents and first responders.

The timing is deliberate. Hurricane Preparedness Week runs May 3-9, 2026, and the Atlantic season stretches through Nov. 30. North Carolina county preparedness materials say early forecasts point to 12 to 15 named storms, 6 to 9 hurricanes and 2 to 3 major hurricanes, with a 54% chance of storm activity affecting North Carolina.

Officials are also pushing residents to sign up for emergency alerts. The broader warning is simple: hurricanes do not have to make landfall in North Carolina to hit Western North Carolina hard. Storms that stay on the coast or pass through neighboring states can still send heavy rain, flooding and dangerous landslides into Buncombe County, and county leaders want households ready before the forecast turns local.