# @mypbsnc on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DIjdwLsTjzb
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/32739118-mypbsnc-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/794c9714ae.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-04-17T16:19:18.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** PBS North Carolina (@mypbsnc) — https://gondola.cc/mypbsnc

## Caption

Humans have changed how the French Broad River flows and floods. Now, the Henderson County nonprofit Conserving Carolina is restoring it one property at a time.

“During the flood that we experienced in Helene, the water was 12–15 feet above our heads right here,” Greg Jennings says, holding his hand above his head. “Which was much higher than we had ever observed before or would have expected.” 

Greg is standing in front of an oval-shaped body of water that connects to the nearby French Broad River, which flows north from North Carolina into Tennessee. We’re on a 70-acre property called Pleasant Grove, one of many sites owned by Henderson County-based land trust Conserving Carolina. Greg is an environmental engineer who’s worked with Conserving Carolina to restore the riverside property from a golf course back to its natural state, with the help of funding from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Henderson County branch of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. 

That restoration is likely what saved the property from major damage during Hurricane Helene’s historic floods in September 2024. By examining the depth of the water recorded by nearby flood gauges and the acreage of the sites, Greg was able to calculate that Conserving Carolina’s three existing restoration sites along the French Broad River held an estimated 1.25 billion gallons of floodwater during Helene, thereby preventing that water from rushing downstream. 

Functioning floodplains can help create climate resiliency. With more severe weather extremes because of our changing climate, floodplains’ capacity to hold onto water can serve as a buffer. 

Read the full article by Michelle Lotker at our link in bio.

State of Change: Living with Water premieres April 17 on PBS NC & the PBS app.

Attend our free, hybrid event on April 22. Registration is required via Eventbrite. Learn more and get your tickets now at the link in our bio!

Special thanks: @conservingcarolina

#PBSNC #StateOfChange #NorthCarolina #WNC #HurricaneHelene #FrenchBroadRiver

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 145
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- **Comments:** 2

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PBS North Carolina | @mypbsnc | https://gondola.cc/mypbsnc | Television Network |
| Erin Lashley | @erintlashley | https://gondola.cc/erintlashley | Social Media Specialist |

## Tags

northcarolina, stateofchange, hurricanehelene, wnc, frenchbroadriver, pbsnc

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