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    • Buncombe Helene Recovery: Asheville Holiday Parade Canceled
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    Buncombe Helene Recovery: Asheville Holiday Parade Canceled

    Pabio Posted on

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    Helene’s Friday, November 15 recovery briefing in Buncombe County covered a target date for lifting the area’s boil water notice, a date by which debris collection on a property private will be available and more.

    Also included are daily updates on food and water distribution and the location of community health centers where showers, laundry and other essentials are available.

    Briefings go live on the Buncombe County Facebook page at 11 a.m. weekdays. You can also find recordings of past briefings on the page. Here’s what was covered during Friday’s briefing.

    Asheville Holiday Parade Canceled

    City staff are focused on essential cleanup, infrastructure repairs and supporting affected residents. For this reason, the traditional holiday parade will not be able to take place.

    “We are focused on how we can safely and effectively bring holiday cheer to our community in a way that supports our ongoing storm recovery work,” said City Manager Deborah Campbell.

    In lieu of a large-scale parade, the city is hosting a “Holiday Jamboree,” a community gathering at Pack Square Park on Saturday, November 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It aims to celebrate community resilience and bring residents together.

    When will Asheville’s boil water advisory be lifted? Asheville Water Updates

    Clay Chandler, Asheville Water Resources representative, said the results of a lead and copper sample from the North Fork water source were negative for lead, although a trace amount of copper was well below the limits has been detected.

    Turbidity on November 15 was 15.5, a slight increase from November 14, the first day in weeks that turbidity did not decrease.

    More than 20 million gallons per day are pumped through the system daily. USACE project contractors continue to work around the clock. The project completion schedule remains the same: late November to early December. Debris removal continues in DeBruhl with assistance from FEMA and other organizations.

    Chandler added that the mechanism used to push raw water through the system will be taken offline beginning Friday evening, Nov. 15, because the use of treated water combined with customer usage has provided data that they consider sufficient to conclude that the system has, for the most part, turned over, replacing the majority of raw water with treated water.

    This also means water officials can begin the sampling process to potentially lift the boil water advisory. This process and plan was developed with the EPA and DEQ and will begin tomorrow, November 16th. The total number of samples needed is 120; based on a daily rate of approximately 40 samples, this process is expected to be completed late on Monday, November 18.

    These bacterial samples have an incubation period of between 18 and 24 hours, meaning that by the afternoon or evening of Tuesday, November 19, water utilities will understand the status of the distribution system and s it will be possible to boil the water. water notice.

    Risk Mitigation Program

    NC Emergency Management hazard mitigation personnel will be available today, Friday, November 15, at the Asheville Mall to assist Asheville Mall owners from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    This program helps protect against further damage and loss following a disaster with options such as repurchasing homes for what they were worth before the storm, raising homes above the estimated level of a 100-year storm and counting.

    To start applying online, visit ncdps.gov/our-organization/emergency-management/disaster-recovery/hazard-mitigation-grants-information-request

    More: Buncombe County homeowners can seek help from Helene through 2 other programs

    Repair of private roads and bridges

    Funding for repairs to private roads and bridges is available, even if the owner’s home is not damaged. Visit disaster assistance.govcall 1-800-621-3362 or visit the Disaster Recovery Center open daily at the Asheville Mall from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    Small Business Recovery Grants

    For-profit businesses in Buncombe County and the City of Asheville are eligible to receive grants of up to $25,000 to support recovery expenses not covered by insurance or other funding sources.

    Applications are open today until November 27 and can be found at mountainbizworks.org/abgrants/ *available in Spanish*

    Community care stations

    Community care stations are open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with showers, laundry facilities and more. All community care stations now have ADA accessible showers and bathrooms. Laundry drop-off and pick-up is available at Swannanoa Ingles.

    The locations of the community health posts are:

    • At Home store parking lot on Brevard Road
    • Big Lots Shopping Center/Innsbrook
    • Buncombe County Sports Park
    • Bethel United Methodist
    • Fairview English
    • Swannanoa English
    • Owen Pool
    • Morgan Hill Baptist Church

    Where to Find Food and Water in Buncombe County

    Water and ready-to-eat meals are available daily at distribution sites at:

    • Sky Lanes Bowling Alley
    • Black Mountain English
    • Swannanoa English
    • Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
    • Pack Square Park
    • Buncombe County Sports Park

    More: Lead found in water at 7 Asheville-area elementary schools: What we know

    Launch date of the private property debris removal program

    The private property debris removal program will launch on Tuesday, November 19. There will be an online application option, in-person applications and a call center for debris-related questions. More information will arrive early next week.

    Why is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Asheville?

    Corey Koger of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided an update on the debris and answered some frequently asked questions. He described several USACE projects.

    First, Koger explained efforts to remove debris from the right-of-way. The right-of-way is the strip of land extending from the edge of your property, including utilities and sidewalk, approximately 10 to 15 feet from the edge of the street. This is where debris should be collected if you would like assistance in clearing debris from the right-of-way.

    Different trucks pick up different materials because there are separate disposal sites. Do not place any debris in black plastic bags, as this slows down the collection process. Because of these separate disposal sites, USACE has requested that anyone placing debris in a right-of-way separate said debris into these categories on the sidewalk:

    • Household appliances
    • Household hazardous waste such as batteries, paints, lacquers, pesticides, etc.
    • Electronic
    • Vegetation
    • Construction and demolition debris

    Koger added that although they graze plant debris, this mulch will not be used due to the potential dangers. USACE is not responsible for cleaning up debris caused by landslides. Contact your local emergency management for landslide debris collection.

    Next, Koger gave some additional information about the private property debris removal program. Because the right-of-way is from public or private streets, USACE does not currently enter properties. Collection of entry fees will be conducted by city or county contractors to allow contractors to define properties through the PPDR. After that, debris removal can be carried out. Koger reminded the audience that this is a long-term process that does not happen overnight.

    Finally, Koger explained that FEMA and USACE teams are currently conducting waterway assessments to determine what debris can be collected. For the moment, it is mainly debris which could pose a threat to the population. Once eligible debris is determined, they will determine, contract and begin collecting debris from waterways.

    Vehicles, vessels, and title deeds are not transferred by USACE. Instead, they will place the money in the hands of local municipalities so they can collect it through official processes that cannot be completed by the corps.

    Rental Assistance Programs

    On October 22, the Asheville City Council authorized the allocation of $1 million in existing city resources to support rental assistance. Since then, the city has contracted with Eblen Charities to manage rental assistance. City Manager Deborah Campbell said staff confirmed that Eblen would provide equitable access to city residents seeking assistance, including undocumented individuals and households.

    This means ensuring that documentation requirements do not exclude anyone who is undocumented or unable to meet typical requirements due to storm-related losses. In previous cases, Eblen has required a Social Security number due to funding source requirements. However, thanks to city funding, immigration status is not a limitation and should not be a barrier.

    Like other service providers, Eblen has received a large increase in applications, which has affected the processing of applicants. They worked to hire additional staff, increasing their workforce by 42%.

    Asheville Debris Collection

    As of November 13, more than 81,732 cubic yards of storm debris have been collected in Asheville. The work is still focused on cleaning the public right-of-way. Residents and businesses are encouraged to sort debris and place it curbside.

    Today, entrepreneurs will have 30 trucks circulating in the areas:

    • Zone 1 – 1 truck
    • Zone 2 – 1 truck
    • Zone 3 – 6 trucks
    • Zones 4 and 5 – 8 trucks
    • Zone 6 – 6 trucks
    • Zones 7 and 8 – 8 trucks

    Iris Seaton is the trending reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact her at [email protected].

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