Press release from Buncombe County:
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Buncombe County will reopen to the public during regular business hours with the exception of most parks and two libraries. Only North Buncombe Fields and Hominy Valley Park will open; all other parks remain closed. All libraries will open with the exception of Oakley/South Asheville Library and Swannanoa Library. Mobile parks and library programming will be announced in the coming days as plans are finalized to bring these services to communities.As of this morning, 127 Duke Energy customers in Buncombe County remain without power. Spectrum has restored service to 90% of their customers, but in some places, repairs are taking longer than expected for about 10,000 customers.A new Community Care Station opened today at Owen Pool in Swannanoa. Currently, the laundry service is being set up but will be available later today. Community Care Stations continue to be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and have showers, laundry, food, and in some cases medical care, all available at not cost. The locations for these are:
Early voting sites are open everyday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ballot, wait maps, and other voting information can be viewed at buncombecounty.org/vote. Early voting location sites include:
This week, WastePro is running normal routes for trash and recycling where accessible.The landfill is open at 85 Panther Road in Alexander on Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Transfer Station at 190 Hominy Creek Road in Asheville is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is for residential bagged trash and household recycling. Regular fees apply.Today only, bagged trash can be dropped-off at AB Tech Enka from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and tomorrow, Wednesday at Owen Pool.Recycling can be dropped off at Curbside Management, 116 N. Woodfin Ave., Asheville, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a drop-off area just inside the gate.D-SNAP
Buncombe County residents can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). The deadline to apply is in two days – Thursday. Individuals and households not currently receiving Food and Nutrition Services benefits who were impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for D-SNAP. Applications can be submitted in-person at Buncombe County Health and Human Services at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The application process can also be started online by pre-registering at epass.nc.gov and then calling the DSNAP Call Center at 1-844-453-1117.Donations
Due to the incredible outpouring of support, organizations throughout Buncombe County have received an influx of donations like clothes, shoes and blankets. We can’t accept any more, because we simply don’t have the resources available to store and distribute them. We encourage anyone who wants to assist to make financial contributions to reputable organizations supporting Helene recovery.The sentiment extends to volunteers, as well. We have a strong presence from FEMA and emergency response teams from across the state and around the country. The county doesn’t have opportunities available right now for volunteers to work outside of the emergency response structure. We want to respect people’s time and energy, so we gently ask that they only come here if government agencies request their presence or if they have pre-arranged opportunities with community organizations.N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles
At its peak, 25 driver license offices and 28 license plate agencies in Western North Carolina closed due to impacts from the storm. Currently, there are only a few driver license offices closed, one at Burnsville and another at Spruce Pine.All WNC license plates agencies have reopened except for Marshall, which suffered extensive damage.Some updates:
During Hurricane Helene recovery, Environmental Health has received 900 water sample applications. While most of these wells were not directly affected by flood water or damaged by the hurricane, these water sample applications have provided peace of mind for those relying on wells for drinking water.Environmental Health will now be focusing on flooded or damaged wells due to the storm. Starting today, Environmental health will shift to only sampling wells that were flooded or damaged during the storm. The office will screen water sample applications to determine if the well was flooded or damaged. For the wells that meet this criteria, well disinfection kits and water sample collection kits will be provided.Environmental Health highly recommends residents to only apply for a well water test if their well was flooded or damaged. If the well was not flooded or damaged, residents should consider waiting to submit applications for a water sample. This will allow the office to prioritize our recovery and response activities to help those in our community most impacted by the storm.Restaurant Re-Opening
To help food service establishments reopen as quickly and safely as possible, Buncombe County Environmental Health launched a new, streamlined “Emergency Operations Plan for Food Establishments” form operators can complete and submit online at buncombecounty.org/eh.Environmental Health has processed and approved 276 streamlined Emergency Operation Plans for Food Establishments since Thursday of last week.Environmental Health is also working with the Division of Child Development and Early Education to assist childcare centers with reopening. Forty-two Emergency Operation Plans have been received for childcare centers; 40 of them have been reviewed, and 32 plans can be approved. Approved plans are shared with the licensed childcare consultant responsible for completing the final review. After the final review, Environmental Health will make a site visit to complete the reopening process.
Its Division of Motor Vehicles, not Department.