Press release from City of Asheville:
City of Asheville offices will close at 4 p.m. today in advance of expected flooding forecast by the National Weather Service.
Asheville Public Works has staff members monitoring streams, rivers, storm drains and roads for flooding today, and will throughout the evening and the overnight hours to provide storm response as needed.
“Our employees and equipment are ready and we will work with the other departments to provide safety-based operations for the community,” said Public Works Director Greg Shuler.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the Asheville area through Wednesday morning as the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moves inland through the mountains. As much as 5 inches of rain could fall within 24 hours, creating the potential for flooding conditions.
If you encounter a downed tree blocking a road
Call 828-259-5852. Please note that City Streets crews cannot clear a downed tree with power lines until the power company clears the lines.How to stay plugged into City of Asheville information about road closures during flooding events
Resources for our residents
A good source of information is the City of Asheville’s Climate Resiliency Guide. Published in June 2019, the guide provides advice on short- and long-term flood planning measures, including:-Finding out if your home is in a designated flood zone at this link;
-Preparing a flood plan and evacuation routes, and building a flood kit;
-Purchasing flood insurance;
-Taking emergency and permanent methods for flood proofing your home or business;
-Elevating and securing valuable documents and property;
-Incorporating techniques for reducing runoff and redirecting stormwater, including clearing drains, protecting stream buffers, collecting rainwater and maintaining natural vegetation; and
-Having an emergency plan in place for moving to higher ground once flooding occurs so that emergency personnel do not have to perform rescues.All public safety services, including police, fire and emergency response, will operate according to normal schedule — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For your own safety, please staff off the roads as much as possible during storm events.
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.