‘Thank goodness we did not lose one soul’: 50 affordable homes to be rebuilt after Helene
By Chloe Adams
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HENDERSONVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Nearly two years after Helene wiped out dozens of affordable homes in Hendersonville, $16.8 million in federal funding is expected to help rebuild them as the city faces an ongoing shortage of housing residents can afford.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the award to the Hendersonville Affordable Housing Corporation for Lincoln Circle and Robinson Terrace as part of $137 million recently approved for 114 recovery and mitigation projects across North Carolina.
The money comes as housing remains a growing challenge locally. Hendersonville’s 2026 Strategic Housing Plan estimates Henderson County will need about 10,000 additional housing units over the next five years.
The Housing Authority currently offers 375 affordable dwelling units for low and moderate income families, the elderly and those with disabilities. Still, housing officials said demand remains high and the storm exacerbated it.
Along both Lincoln Circle and Robinson Terrace, windows and doors remain boarded up. Stewart pointed out emergency tape near the roof of one home, marking where she said a rescue boat was tied during the flooding.
“The women that lived here talked about at 5:30 (in the morning of Sept. 27, 2024), they woke up and the water was at their ankles,” Stewart said. “By the time they got their kids out, it was waist deep, and it came so fast.
“Thank goodness we did not lose one soul.”
Stewart said 50 homes are considered total losses and are expected to be demolished and rebuilt. At the same time, other homes on Lincoln Circle managed to escape the worst of the catastrophic flooding.
“The water…I just can’t imagine the path it chose because it seems unreal to me,” Stewart said. “So I’m sure these people were as afraid, because they were thinking, ‘Is that water coming here?’ And thank goodness it did not.”
FEMA said $102 million will support 104 public assistance projects, while about $34 million will go toward acquiring nearly 80 flood-prone properties through its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
The agency said federal support for Helene and other recent disasters in North Carolina has now surpassed $7.5 billion.
Stewart said planning is underway to rebuild these new units and expects for them to be complete in two years.
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