U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Western North Carolina on February 7, 2025, to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene and discuss ongoing rebuilding efforts with local officials and residents.
“When Hurricane Helene ripped through the Southeast, entire communities were destroyed. EPA has been on the scene ever since to assist residents and localities. I want all residents in North Carolina, and other impacted states, to know that while Helene may no longer be in the headlines, the EPA will continue working with high impact and maximum effort,” said Administrator Zeldin.
Zeldin began his visit at the Lake Lure Debris Site alongside EPA Region 4 Leadership and North Carolina state officials. He later met with local residents affected by the hurricane before touring Asheville’s North Fork Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Marshall Sewage Facility.
The EPA was activated in North Carolina under Emergency Support Function (ESF)-3 for water and wastewater needs, as well as ESF-10 for oil and hazardous materials response. Under ESF-3, 71 EPA water emergency response team members were deployed to support recovery efforts from September 28 to December 13, 2025. The teams collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to evaluate 285 drinking water and wastewater facilities to restore services quickly.
An EPA drinking water expert assisted Asheville in restoring fire suppression and sanitation shortly after Helene's landfall, achieving safe drinking water availability by November 18, 2025. Two mobile labs processed over 1,500 water samples from public utilities and private wells in Buncombe County (Asheville) and Watauga County (Boone), aiding residents in assessing flood-related contamination risks.
Under ESF-10, four On-Scene Coordinators along with contractors worked with USACE and N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to address orphan containers containing oil or hazardous materials across several counties since October 2, 2024. Efforts included collecting over 2,000 containers of hazardous materials, recycling substantial amounts of metals and plastics, disposing of oil-water mixtures, managing mercury collection pending disposal, and handling drums containing various chemicals.
The deployments are ongoing with continued technical support focusing on previously inaccessible areas due to debris or property access issues.
Administrator Zeldin traveled directly from Los Angeles where he engaged with affected residents involved in wildfire cleanup operations led by the EPA.
