Press release from Buncombe County
Today is the last day to apply for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance or D-SNAP. This program is for households with low to moderate income. Applications can be made in person at Buncombe County Health and Human Services at 40 Coxe Avenue in Asheville from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Buncombe County understands that the lines are long, but staff are working to get everyone in and out as soon as possible. For those unable to go in-person, they can fill out an authorization form and send an authorized person in your place. The form can be found here.
Due to high call volumes at the DSNAP Call Center at 1-844-453-1117, many have not been able to get through to the call center line. Everyone who would like to apply should pre-register at epass.nc.gov. After completing the pre-registration, they will receive a confirmation number, meaning they are in the system, and someone will reach out to them to finish the application even after today’s deadline. Those with a confirmation number received after pre-registering do not have to go in person today to complete their application. This will ensure that all of those who would like to apply will get the opportunity to do so.
Also, for those who are in line at 40 Coxe before 4 p.m., their application will be received.
To receive money for groceries there are three options for today: pre-register at epass.nc.gov, apply in person at 40 Coxe Avenue, or call the DSNAP Call Center at 1-844-453-1117.
Disaster Recovery Center Move
The Disaster Recovery Center, a one-stop shop where people can get assistance from FEMA and the Small Business Administration, will move from its location at A.C. Reynolds High School at the end of the day today due to school reopening. The site is open today; a new location will be announced as soon as possible. A Mobile Disaster Recovery Center is open today through Sunday at the Bee Tree Fire Station in Swannanoa from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and at the Buncombe County Sports Park parking lot starting Monday, Oct. 28 through Thursday, Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.A reminder that the Community Care Station at A.C. Reynolds, offering showers, laundry, and more will still operate there. Other Community Care Stations include:
Traffic Light Reminder
Kids are going to start heading back to school tomorrow, but there are still a number of traffic lights that aren’t working. Please remember that if a traffic light isn’t working, slow down and treat that as a four-way stop. We want to keep our kids safe as they return.Food and Water Distribution Sites
Today’s food and water distribution sites are at:
Solid Waste
Today, household bagged trash drop-offs can be made at the Ingles in Fairview, this is for today only.A pesticide collection event is today until 4 p.m. at 74 Research Drive in Mills River and is open to all counties. This is for labelled and known chemicals only, no mixed chemicals. No liquids in bulk containers will be accepted and there is no charge to dispose of pesticides at this event.
Debris collection is continuing in Fairview, Swannanoa and North Buncombe.
Election Updates
“I told you that Buncombe would vote, and you definitely are,” said Buncombe County Election Services Director Corinne Duncan during her elections update at the 11 a.m. briefing. “Despite driving around pieces of missing roads, stopping at stop lights that still don’t work, boiling your water to cook your food, and mourning losses you are showing up to cast your ballot. You’re making very long lines, and we are happy for it.”Over 47,000 voters have cast their vote early so far. The voting pattern is different this time around, usually the first days of early voting are highest and then there is a trend down. Not this time – voting is holding steady. Buncombe County thanks residents for their patience and poll workers and staff for working hard.
This weekend, there will be extended hours for early voting, all 10 locations will be open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Early voting locations are:
Early voting is open everyday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3 p.m.
The wait map at buncombecounty.org/vote shows many people are in line.
Absentee by mail is still available. There are over 15,000 requests and more than 3,000 of those ballots have been returned. Those are being processed at board meetings and everyone is welcome to watch in person or online.
The deadline to submit an absentee request is Oct. 29. The deadline to turn in ballots is Election Day, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Due to Helene, not all of the usual Election Day locations are available to use. All 80 precincts have been accessed and it was determined that 17 need to be moved or transferred to another polling location. We have published those changes on our website and are sending change cards in the mail now to all voters that have a new location.
Mountain Mobility Trailblazer
Buncombe County’s community transportation service, Mountain Mobility, is providing direct access to three early voting sites via the Trailblazer routes. Customers using any of the three Trailblazer routes will be able to use the following sites:
Customers can be picked up anywhere along a Trailblazer route, and, as always, the service is fare free and available to all.
Qualifying Mountain Mobility customers may take trips to other voting sites.
Meeting Temporary Housing Needs
Getting families out of shelters and hotels and into longer-term solutions is a priority and FEMA’s Direct Lease & Multifamily Lease and Repair Programs help families find more stable housing while continue their recovery. FEMA is currently seeking interested, qualified owners or property management companies to help meet the temporary housing needs for Hurricane Helene survivors by leasing their properties directly to FEMA. FEMA is hosting a webinar this afternoon from 2-4 p.m. for property managers and residential property owners who are interested in learning more about leasing directly to FEMA. We will add the link to register for this webinar in the chat.Storm Debris Pickup
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now handling storm debris pickup in Buncombe County. The Corps is operating in Buncombe County and in all impacted county in Western North Carolina. They were already managing debris removal for rivers, streams, and mudslides, and now they’ll be managing all other storm debris in the County.It is important to separate debris from electronics, vegetative materials, and hazardous waste and place it in the right of way. This graphic on debris removal guidelines is important to share.
Volunteer Updates
Dan Leroy with United Way provided updates on the non-profit’s joint efforts to organize community-wide volunteerism for local response efforts.In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, United Way has activated several ways for individuals and groups to volunteer.
Ways to volunteer:
The United Way warehouse, which operated in partnership with Buncombe County to receive and distribute supply donations, is now closed. In the three weeks since opening the warehouse, we received and distributed 76 pallets and 2,606 boxes of essential supplies to dozens of frontline community partners. Thank you to the 427 volunteers who donated over 3,000 hours.
Pisgah Legal Updates
Pisgah Legal Services provides a broad array of free civil legal aid, anti-poverty advocacy, and access to health care to help people meet their basic needs for safety, shelter, health care, food, and other necessities. In addition to legal services, Pisgah Legal helps people access health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, file their taxes, and address issues associated with Medicaid transformation through other, non-legal programs.Whether it’s helping with issues related to housing and landlord-tenant disputes, FEMA applications, or immigrant rights, Pisgah Legal is available to provide guidance and representation.
Some ways Pisgah Legal can help:
All of Pisgah Legal services are free of charge to those who qualify, and they encourage anyone in need to reach out to us as soon as possible. Residents can apply online for services at pisgahlegal.org or call 828-253-0406.
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