News release from the City of Asheville:
The City of Asheville continues to provide Tropical Storm Helene recovery resource updates on a daily basis
Substantial damage assessments update
Stormwater staff began substantial damage assessments on November 1st. The Residential and Non-Residential Substantial Damage Assessments have been completed for structures in the Floodplain following FEMA’s guidelines. 543 non-residential structures were assessed, reaching nearly 1,000 structures in total with residential structures included.
City staff will be using FEMA’s software to calculate the estimated cost of damage for individual structures within the floodplain. Next staff will complete the estimated cost of substantial damage. Once the cost estimation is complete, City staff will notify owners of the results.
For residential and non-residential structures that incurred 50% or more cost damage compared to the tax value of the building will need to work with Development Services to bring the structure into compliance. Owners will have the opportunity to appeal the results, and will be given information on the appeal process with the results.
More information regarding substantial storm damage assessments and the appeal process will be posted to the City’s webpage soon.
Storm Debris Removal
The City of Asheville storm debris collection contractor continues to rotate throughout the city, focusing on collecting in areas with high concentrations of storm debris. As of end of day November 18, debris contractors have collected nearly 100,000 cubic yards of storm debris.
Today, November 20, the City’s contractor has 31 storm debris removal trucks running. The zones will be as follows:
1 grapple/trailer in the (Zone 1 West Asheville)
1 grapple/trailer in the (Zone 2 West Asheville north of Haywood Rd)
5 grapples/trailers in the (Zone 3 Downtown)
7 grapples/trailers in the (Zones 4 & 5 North and Northeast)
8 grapples/trailers in the (Zones 6 East Asheville)
9 grapples/trailers in the (Zones 7 & 8 Southeast and South)
Debris collection will continue across the city, including in city-owned parks, until all storm debris in the right-of-way and on public property has been collected.
Holiday Jamboree on November 23
Holiday Jamboree presented by Bojangles, produced by Asheville Downtown Association in partnership with the City of Asheville. It will be held in Pack Square Park from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and include:
Free photos with Santa
Arts and crafts with Asheville Parks & Recreation
Holiday market filled with local vendors you can support by buying gifts for your friends and family
And festive performances from local performers, high school marching bands, gymnastics schools, and more.
Please come out to celebrate and support our creative community and small businesses and restaurants in downtown as we prepare to celebrate the holiday season, and our city’s unity and resilience
Additional Holiday Events
On November 23, Burton Street Community Center will hold a Friendsgiving Potluck from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Also on November 23 the Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center will hold a turkey giveaway and hot community meal from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Parks and Recreation’s annual Holly Jolly Holidays series begins on December 4th with a Candy Cane Flashlight Hunt and continues through the month with cookie contests, seasonal games, festive meals, holiday camps, calls from Santa, roller skating at Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville, and more for all ages throughout the city. More information is available at ashevillenc.gov/parks.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.