Local Politics · Haywood County
NC Soil and Water Districts Aid Flood Recovery; Early Voting Ends Oct. 31
Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation District chair Bill Yarborough explains how these unpaid, locally led districts help farmers prevent erosion and manage flood-recovery funding after Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 and Hurricane Helene. Six people died in Haywood County when the Pigeon River flooded during Fred; districts across Western North Carolina have since sought federal emergency watershed funding to clear debris-clogged streams and repair unstable banks in Henderson and Transylvania counties. Yarborough says recovery work will take several years, and voters can evaluate candidates for three elected supervisor seats per district by asking what each county needs most. Early voting ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31; Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.