News release from Buncombe County:
In response to the ongoing natural disaster, Buncombe County has made modifications to its website to ensure important information is easily accessible, even for those with limited internet bandwidth. Both buncombecounty.org and buncombeready.org now feature simple pages with clickable buttons for vital information on water, emergency numbers, disaster assistance, and more. The full website remains available through these pages, and users can toggle between languages in the top right corner.Cold Weather Donations Needed
As temperatures drop, we need cold-weather donations for Hurricane Helene survivors. Please donate coats, blankets, gloves, hand warmers, and other items at the following locations:
Burning debris is not allowed within any municipal limits. If burning debris outside of city limits, ensure it is from your property and made of natural materials. Do not remove debris from rivers or public areas until crews have completed their search.Well Water Testing Kits
Home well water testing kits will be available at 30 Valley Street starting Thursday and will be available from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. These have easy-to-follow instructions.Trash Collection
WastePro is working to maintain normal routes as road conditions allow.
There are some locals who are applying for FEMA disaster assistance are experiencing denials, the City of Asheville is working to identify issues and provide a solution for this issue.FEMA has approved 24,500 applications for Buncombe County residents to a total of $27 million.A FEMA disaster recovery center has opened today at A.C. Reynolds High School at 1 Rocket Drive in Asheville, open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. where people can register for assistance in person, talk to someone with the Small Business Administration, and access services from the state. The first step in the recovery process is talking to your insurance agent and then registering for FEMA assistance. FEMA will not be at the AB-Tech Center today.Mountain Mobility
Mountain Mobility continues transportation for dialysis, chemotherapy, or other life-sustaining medical treatments. It is also resuming non-emergency medical trips transportation, ADA complementary paratransit services as able, and the Enka-Candler Trailblazer Service.Mailing Updates
United States Postal Service: USPS has temporarily suspended retail and delivery operations for some postal facilities throughout WNC until further notice. For offices that are experiencing a temporary closure, the Postal Service is making contingency plans to conduct retail and delivery operations from a nearby facility. This includes USPS operations in Alexander at 2350 Old Marshall Hwy have moved to Weaverville at 270 N Main St. Customers can also call 1-800-ASK-USPS with questions about facilities and delivery.UPS is delivering to locations deemed safe; if roads are not clear, customers can pick up items at UPS at 301 Sweeten Creek Industrial Park Drive in Asheville.ID Bureau
We’ve received questions about concealed carry permits since the City/County Bureau of Identification has been closed. For customers who had scheduled appointments, staff has been reaching out via the provided email and/or phone number to advise on the process to rescheduled. Current concealed handgun permit holders have a limited grace period for renewal if they are due to expire.Parks and Libraries
These facilities remain closed – we have redirected our staff to work the emergency response, and as much as we’d like to have these open, we must remain focused on supporting our community through this crisis.Elections
Buncombe County has an early voting election plan, click here for the full update.Buncombe County Schools
The priority for Buncombe County Schools is to safely reopen schools as quickly as possible with many areas without water and road hazards. Good news is, 40 out of 45 schools now have power. The safest and most actionable plan for reopening school will be to bring in portable restrooms with handwashing stations. Buncombe County Schools has put in a request to get these facilities on campus as soon as possible. Meals, which include free breakfast and lunch to all students, will pivot to grab-and-go meals. Buncombe County Schools has no exact reopening date as of today, but parents will receive a minimum 72-hour notice. Work is also being done to remap county bus routes.Asheville City Schools
Asheville City Schools (ACS) has started drilling wells at campuses and was able to get ground water at Hall Fletcher Elementary School. It will take about 2-3 weeks before they can take water from the well to use at schools. ACS plans to drill wells on all campuses to serve as backup water. ACS has submitted an order for portable toilet trailers. The targeted school opening date for ACS is Oct. 28, however the goal is to open as soon as safely possible so this date may change. ACS will provide a 72-hour notice to parents prior to re-opening.This week ACS also has opportunities for students:
The City of Asheville has made curfew changes to reflect hours best suitable for restaurant operations. The new curfew is 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Thursday, Oct. 10.Water Updates
Northfork 36-inch Bypass Waterline: Crews continue to progress on pipeline repairs, overcoming unanticipated obstacles, such as a section that had to be removed because it was clogged with boulders. The entire waterway has shifted, so repairs have had to happen in 20-foot sections as workers build temporary dams to reroute the water away from the pipe trench. It’s painstaking work that requires a mix of heavy equipment and handheld shovels. Despite this, the expedited project, with inspectors and engineers on site to make timely decisions, is progressing far more quickly than a similar project that under standard protocols would take many months to build. A major milestone – the installation of a turn in the pipe – is progressing, as the “elbow” was lowered into the work area. That connection will mark a major step toward linking the treatment plant to the pipe network that distributes water to users.Swannanoa River Road: the road and water lines were washed out into the river. Local crews are working toward the west because the water is moving in that direction. N.C. DOT is coming from the opposite direction to meet them. Once transmission lines are in place and repaired, the plant can begin to pump water into the system. The next phase will be pressurizing the network of pipes to discover the location of breaks that must be repaired before full restoration of service. Utility crews are coming from other municipalities to help.Northfork Reservoir and Treatment Plant: the storm flipped sediment at the bottom that is now suspended at the top. Engineers and scientists are developing a treatment option for this murky water. There is a miniature plant to test scenarios. They are working to develop an in-reservoir treatment system to allow sediment to stick together so it can settle. Were they to process the murky water as is, it would destroy the filtration system, which would take months to repair.Update from Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Operations
USAR search and rescue operations for Hurricane Helene response include the following statistics as of Oct. 8:
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