PENC Asheville Chapter Event: JMT’s Disaster Recover Response to NCDOT for Hurricane Helene

When: Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Time: 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM - Lunch provided at 11:30 PM and presentation will begin at 12:00 PM. 

Cost: $25 Per Person - Lunch will be included with registration!

PDH: 1

Session Overview

JMT’s Disaster Recover Response to NCDOT for Hurricane Helene

• This presentation will describe the efforts in NCDOT’s Division 13 and 14 that included riding and inspecting routes in Rutherford, Burke, McDowell, Mitchell, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, and Polk Counties, to identify impacted sites and document them using iPads with Survey123. Utilizing JMT’s Disaster Recovery On-Call, NCDOT initiated the call for JMT to be ready to respond as the storm developed, however the damage was infinitely more extensive than anticipated requiring a higher demand for staffing. Innovative measures were used to recruit and onboard employees, many of which are retired NCDOT staff with a construction/maintenance background to supplement available manpower.
• Once initial assessments were complete, staff returned to the sites in McDowell, Mitchell, Haywood and Henderson Counties with experienced estimators to develop cost estimates for temporary and permanent repairs. Estimates were generated using a unique macro-enabled spreadsheet developed by NCDOT. As one of the first firms to respond and begin work, our staff was trained, and then asked to develop, and conduct, a training session for other consultants’ staff arriving later in the process.
• For the sites in McDowell and Mitchell Counties, this estimating process lasted from October 2024 until February 2025, while estimates are on-going in Henderson and Haywood Counties. As FEMA and FHWA review estimates, staff continue to support NCDOT by providing detailed rationale for estimates, making revisions where warranted, and otherwise helping Federal reimbursements get to the Department efficiently.
• Concurrently while developing damage repair estimates, staff also assisted the Department in the administration of debris removal, and with administering and inspecting damage repair contracts. Hopefully, this presentation will give the audience an update of where relief efforts stand, lessons learned in responding to such a huge disaster as well as highlight many of the innovative ways staff learned to keep the process moving forward with the challenges of closed roads and bridges, power outages, fuel shortages, and the lack of communication.

Speaker Bio

L. DeWayne Brown, PE, PLS, Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Marketing Officer for JMT

Mr. Brown has over 35 years experience as a Civil (Highways) Engineer and Land Surveyor.  A 1989 Civil Engineering graduate of NC State and Western NC native, he joined JMT (formerly Vaughn & Melton) in January 1990 and through the advancement of his career has served as a Senior Project Manager and Principal-in-Charge for both the design and construction on many transportation, municipal, water resources, site development, energy and design-build projects. He has been Project Manager on transportation projects throughout the Southeast. DeWayne has been actively involved with JMT's response in assisting NCDOT's Disaster Assistance and Recovery efforts for several hurricanes and ice storm events since 2010. He is currently a Senior Vice President and the Deputy Chief Marketing Officer for JMT in the Southeast and oversees business development efforts in five states including Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. He resides in Leicester, NC and works out of the Asheville office.