Lessons Learned from Hurricane Helene's Impact on North Carolina and Early Warning Initiatives

by Sophie Sommer and Mary Wong

September 12, 2025 ~

Introduction

Nearly a year ago on September 26, 2024 Hurricane Helene made contact with the western region of North Carolina, tearing through the Appalachian mountains and leaving 26 counties eligible for FEMA aid. North Carolina is not unfamiliar with storms, whether it be the raucous thunder that comes with being one of two rainforests in the United States, or the tropical storms that terrorize the coast line every September. Throughout these yearly tropical storms advice from locals typically stays the same: If things get rough go west to the mountains. Thus, when Helene touched ground, western locales were left wholly unprepared and many not aptly warned by their governments. This has led to over a hundred confirmed fatalities and an expected $78.7 billion in repair costs.

The hurricane’s descent on Appalachia was unexpected, but as we now know not impossible. With emergency response left largely to local municipalities in the state of North Carolina, the state must learn from and consider looking to other examples in order to better understand harm prevention measures they can act on in the face of disaster. One such approach they could implement is the United Nation’s Early Warnings For All Initiative, a U.S. supported effort.

The United Nations launched the Early Warnings for All Initiative (EW4All) in 2022. This ambitious global initiative aims to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by an early warning system by 2027. The program is built upon four essential pillars: Risk Knowledge and Management, Observations and Forecasting, Dissemination and Communication, and Preparedness to Respond. These pillars provide a strategic framework that could greatly improve public safety and resilience to natural hazards and this blog offers tactics and strategies for possible application of this framework in the following sections.

This article tries to answer the question: How might North Carolina implement the UN’s Early Warnings for All Initiative? Drawing on the state’s current emergency systems and disaster history, we explore how North Carolina could adapt each pillar of EW4All in order to prevent future possible disasters of this scale.

Methodology, Data Collection and Analysis

As part of our research, we conducted a survey of 14 residents of western North Carolina to learn of their experience with local government communication prior to the hurricane. We asked questions about any warnings they received prior to the hurricane and how they received them. Tables with a breakdown of the respondents’ demographics are shown below:

Data collection took place in July 2025

The majority of responses came from residents of Buncombe County, the county hardest hit by the hurricane and home to Asheville, which has a population of nearly 95,000 as of 2024.

All 14 surveyed responded that they were not issued evacuation orders. Five respondents evacuated due to the hurricane with 4 from Buncombe and 1 from Burke. Those surveyed learned of Hurricane Helene through a variety of mediums: weather alerts, weather channel, local news, public radio and social media. One resident of Buncombe County received a text message with notification of potential flood risk.

In response to the question, “How well do you think your local government communicated the severity of Hurricane Helene: very poorly, poorly, well, extremely well?” The majority responded poorly. One respondent from Jackson County commented that “Since phone and internet went out, we were in the dark about what was happening.”  Two respondents from Buncombe County commented that public radio was helpful in providing information in the aftermath. One respondent commented that local government did not communicate as much as news outlets.

As with any research, we faced limitations, including small sample size, selection bias and sufficiently representative data. While acknowledging these limitations, the data we collected helped to inform and answer the question of "How might we implement each pillar of EW4All?"

Pillar 1: Risk Knowledge and Management

Current State in North Carolina

North Carolina’s approach to risk assessment includes agencies like the NC Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) which maintain flood zone maps, and the North Carolina Geological Survey which tracks landslide risk in the mountainous western part of the state. These initiatives have faced numerous legislative hurdles such as the landslide risk survey being delayed from 2008 to 2018 leading to much of the area unsurveyed in the lead up to the hurricane.

Public understanding of these risks remains uneven. Many residents are unaware of whether their homes are located in flood-prone areas, especially younger survey respondents who reported growing up in the area.

Recommendations

To build a culture of proactive risk management, North Carolina should integrate climate and disaster education into school curriculums. Teaching students about local hazards not only informs the next generation but also indirectly educates families. Risk literacy should be considered as important as digital literacy in today’s world.

Additionally, community-based risk mapping projects could empower neighborhoods to take stock of their vulnerabilities and advocate for mitigation resources. One survey respondent mentioned that they did not think homeless people received much warning putting them at additional risk.

Pillar 2: Observation and Forecasting

Current State in North Carolina

Citizens of North Carolina benefit from a network of state weather monitoring tools, including NOAA satellite data, Doppler radar systems, and state-operated river gauges. The NC Climate Office and NC Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network (FIMAN) provide real-time flood forecasts. North Carolina also participates in the National Weather Service’s forecasting efforts.

Yet gaps remain. These efforts are not effectively communicated by local governments to their constituents. The majority of survey respondents reported finding out about the danger of the hurricane from the news or public radio, and not their local government.

Recommendations

North Carolina should invest in creating more weather surveying systems that are integrated with the localities in the Appalachian region and making sure that information is accessible. It may be more advisable for the government to build its own program instead of outsourcing. Funding could come from a portion of county and property taxes, but also possibly from grants such as FEMA’s Next Generation Warning System Grant Program.

Pillar 3: Dissemination and Communication

Current State in North Carolina

North Carolina utilizes several communication tools during emergencies, including Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), NC Emergency Management social media accounts, and local news stations.

Despite these tools, communication breakdowns still occur. During Hurricane Helene the urgency of warnings was not always clearly conveyed with a third of survey respondents reporting having to evacuate, but not a single respondent getting evacuation orders. One respondent expressed their concern for non-English speakers and marginalized communities, and their access to critical information.

Recommendations

North Carolina must prioritize clarity and accessibility in its emergency messaging. This includes clear language, consistent severity scales, and translating warnings into multiple languages. A particular emphasis should be placed on communicating severity, not just the occurrence of an event.

To reach broader audiences, the state should consider establishing partnerships with community organizations such as schools and faith groups to disseminate messages quickly. Phone reception in the area must also be improved so everyone can receive WEAs.

Pillar 4: Preparedness to Respond

Current State in North Carolina

North Carolina has a well-established emergency management system, however their main strategy is to delegate to local jurisdictions. The NC National Guard and local first responders are present and help to evacuate people. CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) is also present in some counties.

However, due to disaster preparedness being up to local jurisdictions, levels vary dramatically by county, particularly in low-income or remote areas. Simulations and drills are inconsistently applied, and public engagement in preparedness programs is limited.

Recommendations

To ensure universal readiness, North Carolina should develop a Statewide Early Warning Response Protocol, a standardized plan for what people should do when a warning is issued. This could be modeled after fire drill protocols, where responses are clear, practiced, and universally understood.

Regular community drills, possibly coordinated on a statewide "Resilience Day," would reinforce readiness. Additionally, incentives could be offered to businesses and schools that adopt certified emergency preparedness programs.

Summary and Conclusion

As climate change accelerates, the stakes for effective disaster management in North Carolina and beyond are rising. The chaos surrounding Hurricane Helene underscored just how much room there is for improvement.

The UN’s Early Warnings for All Initiative offers a globally recognized, well-structured framework for action. By implementing its four pillars, even if in part: Risk Knowledge, Observations and Forecasting, Dissemination and Communication, and Preparedness to Respond, North Carolina can evolve from a reactive disaster state to one that practices resiliency in the face of disaster.

Early warning systems are about ensuring that residents have the knowledge, tools, and support needed to respond when nature strikes. As hurricane season is upon us once again, it is not clear that those individuals we surveyed are better prepared with knowledge, tools and support needed. In more closely aligning itself with the EW4All Initiative, North Carolina has the opportunity to lead in creating a safer and more resilient future.