ASHEVILLE – In Swannanoa’s Grovemont neighborhood, nine landslides triggered by Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024, all together, were more than 2 miles long.

On average, the width of damage from those landslides was the size of two football fields, end to end.

The landslides impacted multiple residential properties and had a “significant footprint,” said Kevin Madsen, Buncombe County’s Helene Recovery Officer.

On Dec. 2, Buncombe County commissioners unanimously approved a $794,200 contract with ECS Southeast, LLC, for design and engineering services to examine potential hazard mitigation.

The cost will be covered by FEMA’s Public Assistance program funding.

It’s the first in what is anticipated to be a series of bids that aim to address 25 of the county’s landslides — those fou

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