The Flood Resiliency Blueprint previously funded $3.16 million for eight projects dedicated to long-term flood resilience in the French Broad River Basin in 2024 and 2025. Overall, the Blueprint has now funded 81 projects totaling more than $40 million.  

The NC Flood Resiliency Blueprint is the state’s science-based and stakeholder-driven initiative designed to support the planning, evaluation and implementation of flood resilience strategies. It is the largest statewide flood mitigation investment in North Carolina history. The Blueprint equips local governments, the state and supporting organizations with data, tools and processes to guide strategic investments to reduce flood risk, fund priority projects and address gaps in mitigation efforts. The program will deliver a set of projects and funding strategies to reduce flooding, lessen damage and strengthen communities’ ability to recover quickly from future disasters.

Projects in the SMN coverage area:

Town of Clyde Downtown Floodable Riverfront Park $401,226:  This project will transform 1.08 acres of Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program buyout properties into a public floodable park space along the Pigeon River. This project is planned as part of an integrated suite of resilience-building projects in downtown Clyde that will support local businesses, provide new recreational opportunities and help define Clyde’s post-Helene identity. The floodable park will direct and contain flooding, reduce damage to adjacent roads and improve the water quality of storm runoff with native-planted zones. This project aligns with the priorities of the Town of Clyde Land Use Plan (2012) and Pedestrian Master Plan (2012).

Town of Canton Park Street River Access and Stormwater Improvements $450,000:  Canton’s Park Street project will provide new community amenities designed with flood resilience in mind. The Haywood Waterways Association will lead the project, located directly along the Pigeon River in Canton and the Hellbender Regional Trail. The new park will provide Haywood County’s first public river access point, along with new walking trails and flexible open space. The one-acre floodable park will be designed for stormwater treatment and flood storage, supporting the goals of the town’s Stormwater Management Plan (2020), the Canton Land Use Plan (2022) and the Upper Pigeon Flood Risk Reduction Plan (2024). This project continues the town's history of long-term investments in public access, stormwater improvements and flood resilience.

Town of Canton Chestnut Mountain Floodplain Restoration $470,000 :  The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will lead the restoration of just over four acres of land in the floodway of Hominy Creek. The parcel is located directly upstream of and adjacent to the entrance to Chestnut Mountain Nature Park and along U.S. 19/23 (Asheville Highway). This property has experienced major flooding impacts four times in the past 25 years. Its restoration will protect U.S. 19/23 from flooding, reduce damage at the entrance to the public park and provide approximately six acre-feet of flood storage. The parcel will be added to Chestnut Mountain Nature Park, enhancing recreational and ecological benefits in the region, and it will support the Chestnut Mountain Master Plan (2020) and Canton Land Use Plan (2022).

Town of Canton Property Acquisition to Support School Relocation $2,000,000:  Haywood County Schools has proposed to relocate vulnerable school buildings and sports facilities out of the floodway. The relocation is informed by a 2025 engineering study and an alternatives analysis in the Upper Pigeon Flood Risk Reduction Plan (2024). This award will help fund the acquisition of a suitable parcel for the school buildings and facilities relocation, supporting a safer, more flood-resilient future for the community. County school-owned parcels currently located in the floodway will be repurposed for future flood resilience efforts, including flood storage.