Roughly a year and a half after Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina, engineers across the state are still grappling with how to better recover from natural disasters.

The massive storm caused catastrophic flooding, resulting in massive devastation to communities in western NC. 

On May 11, dozens gathered at Research Triangle Park in Raleigh to discuss rebuilding water infrastructure after hurricanes. The conference, “Resilient by Design: Strengthening North Carolina’s Water and Sewer Infrastructure,” was led by Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson, Twisdale Family Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department Head at NC State.

Joey Hopkins, former secretary of the North Carolina Department Of Transportation and NC State alum, kicked off the conversation. Hopkins emphasized the importance of collaboration and communication during times of disaster, saying “time is of the essence.” He also stressed the need to build resilient infrastructure that can withstand future powerful storms. 

“The 100-year storm is not the same storm as it was ten years ago,” Hopkins said. “The next big storm is not if. It’s when.”

Reid Wilson, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ), took to the podium next. Wilson said NC DEQ recently released advisory floodplain maps for five river basins in the eastern part of the state. The new online tool will help local governments plan and prioritize resilience actions.

“It’s never too early to plan for the next disaster,” Wilson said.

Finally, Gibson took the stage. She discussed a study that she co-led called the “Post-Helene Water Response (PoWR) Project.” 

Gibson and the rest of the research team studied drinking water quality and water access in Buncombe and Mitchell Counties. These communities were some of the hardest hit by Helene, with 75 public water systems damaged or destrayed and nearly 20,000 private wells inundated. The damage left thousands of people without safe drinking water.

“Water and sewer infrastructure is largely invisible and taken for granted by most Americans, who can turn on the tap and expect safe, reliable water every day,” Gibson said. “For decades, that invisibility has contributed to chronic underinvestment in the systems that protect public health, support economic activity and sustain our communities. After Hurricane Helene, images of families standing in line to fill water jugs from tanker trucks became a powerful reminder that safe water is not a luxury—it is fundamental to modern life and community resilience.”

Gibson noted that “although public water service has largely been restored, our study still identified homes relying on private wells and springs that do not have water that is safe to drink.”  In addition, she noted, “Some public water systems are still relying on temporary repairs that will not withstand even a minor storm.”

Starting this month, Gibson will lead a follow-up project aimed to support the participating Mitchell County households found to have unsafe levels of contamination in their drinking water.

The conference ended with groups discussing community needs, funding and potential policy barriers when supporting communities affected by natural disasters.

“The conference highlighted both the tremendous progress that has been made in western North Carolina and the significant work that still lies ahead,” Gibson said. “The discussions reinforced the importance of continued collaboration among communities, utilities, researchers and state leaders to strengthen resilience and address longstanding gaps in safe water access that existed before the hurricane and were worsened by it.”