Hurricane Helene was one of the deadliest storms in US history, leaving a path of destruction from Florida through Virginia. Hurricane Helene was particularly damaging for the Southern Appalachian Mountain region of Western North Carolina, causing large-scale flooding and numerous landslides. 

In the wake of this disaster, many rural schools became impromptu community resilience hubs. Recognizing the unique and critical role of schools for rural communities, a team of faculty and researchers at Appalachian State University are working to strengthen the region’s economy and resilience by partnering with local schools to install microgrids and engage in planning around recovery and transitioning to resilience hubs. 

This project will establish a model that can be adopted by other regions for cross-sector, community collaboration and the creation of infrastructure and planning networks in advance of disaster, while developing the economic prosperity and opportunities in a region. 

This presentation will detail the team’s progress to date and provide early techno-economic modeling of microgrid systems proposed at local schools.