Gov. Josh Stein Announces $5.7 Million Flood Resiliency Grants in Woodfin

Governor Josh Stein stood at Taylor’s Wave in Riverside Park in Woodfin and announced $5.7 million in Flood Resiliency Blueprint grants for eight projects in the French Broad River Basin at an event on February 16, 2026. Speaking to assembled local officials, Stein said, “Rebuilding western North Carolina after Helene means rebuilding stronger and smarter to prepare for future storms,” framing the awards as part of recovery and resilience work after Hurricane Helene.

The Flood Resiliency Blueprint, created by the North Carolina General Assembly and the Department of Environmental Quality in 2021, carries a total legislative allocation of $96 million for implementation projects. State officials noted the program has committed more than $40 million to roughly 80 to 81 projects statewide; the Woodfin announcement increases that portfolio with a targeted set of French Broad Basin investments intended to reduce flooding risks and accelerate recovery.

DEQ and governor’s office materials described the eight projects funded by the Feb. 16 announcement as focused on creating new floodwater storage, restoring and reconnecting floodplains, relocating facilities and infrastructure out of harm’s way, and improving water quality to reduce flood risk. The press materials and event remarks tied the awards to damage and risk from Hurricane Helene, with WLOS reporting the announcement came “nearly a year and five months after Helene swept through Western North Carolina, causing catastrophic flooding.”

Local allocations reported by WLOS as the “largest portions” of the package include the Town of Canton receiving $2.9 million, the Town of Black Mountain receiving $1.65 million, the City of Hendersonville receiving $450,000, and the Town of Clyde receiving $400,000. Those four figures total $5.4 million; the governor’s Office and DEQ identified eight projects in the French Broad Basin but did not provide a complete recipient-by-recipient list in the excerpts released at the event.

Dr. Kathie Dello, identified as Assistant Secretary for Resilience at DEQ, participated in the Woodfin announcement alongside Governor Stein, and Woodfin Town Manager Shannon Touch also spoke, according to local reporting. Photographs from the Riverside Park event were published by WLOS with staff photo credit and by the Citizen-Times, which in some of its coverage rounded the package to $6 million; the official governor and DEQ materials list $5.7 million as the awarded amount.

State leaders emphasized that the grants build on an earlier $3.16 million awarded to French Broad Basin projects in 2024 and 2025 and are intended to protect communities across Western North Carolina from future storms. At the Woodfin site, Stein added, “These grants not only rebuild and restore the French Broad River Basin but also help protect the surrounding communities so generations of North Carolinians can live in safety.”