Buncombe County Recovery Update 11-15-2024

Asheville-Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund

For-profit businesses in Buncombe County and Asheville can apply for grants of up to $25,000 to cover recovery costs not covered by insurance. Applications are open through Nov. 27, 2024 and are available in Spanish. Learn more and apply at mountainbizworks.org/abgrants.

Water Restoration Update

All City of Asheville water customers remain under a Boil Water Notice. Please use bottled water for drinking, cooking, and brushing your teeth.

Free bottled water is available at Community Care Stations and Distribution Sites listed below.

If you must use tap water:

– Run faucets for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
– Boil water for at least one minute before use.

Community Care Stations

The County’s Community Care Stations are open daily, including Monday, from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. with showers, laundry, and more. All Community Care Stations have ADA accessible showers and bathrooms. The locations are:

– Home Store parking lot
– Big Lots/Innsbrook mall
– Buncombe County Sports Park
– Bethel United Methodist
– Fairview Ingles
– Swannanoa Ingles
– Owen Pool
– Morgan Hill Baptist Church

Water and Food Distribution

Water and meals ready to eat are available at distribution sites daily at:

– Sky Lanes Bowling Alley
– Black Mountain Ingles
– Swannanoa Ingles
– Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
– Pack Square Park
– Buncombe County Sports Park
– Fairview Ingles

FEMA

FEMA is providing multiple temporary housing options to meet North Carolinians’ individual needs. As of this morning 1,600 households in Buncombe County are checked in to hotels and motels under the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program.

Those who need to register for FEMA assistance or have follow up questions on their application can visit the Disaster Recovery Center in Buncombe County at the Asheville Mall from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. This center is very accessible to bus routes and provides more parking.

In addition to fixed DRCs, mobile DRCs will continue to operate:

– Nov. 15-18: Buncombe County Sports Park (Parking Lot): 58 Apac Dr., Asheville. Open: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

The timeline to apply for Individual Assistance has been extended to Jan. 7, 2025, for North Carolinians. Please visit one of the DRC locations, go online at disasterassistance.gov, or call 800-621-3362 to register with FEMA.

FEMA is hiring in Asheville, Durham, Hickory, and Raleigh to support the Helene recovery. Applications are being accepted online. To see open positions and apply, please visit usajobs.gov, type keywords “FEMA, Local Hire,” and enter the location as “North Carolina.”

Storm Debris

More than 140,000 cubic yards of debris has been collected in Buncombe County, not including the City of Asheville.

Crews continue to collect between 12,000 and 15,000 cubic yards per day.

It takes thousands of truck loads to gather 100,000 cubic yards, which means major truck traffic in these zones.

There are 41 trucks in operation in unincorporated areas of Buncombe County today and debris pickup is happening in the eastern portion of the County.

The County is actively working to start up a Helene Private Property Debris Removal and Demolition program alongside our federal partners at FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as the State of North Carolina.

Tetra Tech

Tetra Tech is an emergency management and disaster recovery services consulting firm. The company is working with Buncombe County to support recovery operations focused on:

Community Navigators Assistance: navigators are individuals helping support the County’s efforts in helping residents walk through the recovery process. Staff will be at the Asheville Mall to provide assistance as well as out in the community.

Private Property Debris Removal: A private property debris removal program for both commercial and residential properties is currently in the works. This will involve the opening of intake centers, traveling intake specialists, and an online application.

Tetra Tech is hiring locals in all kinds of roles including office and field work, visit tetratech.com/careers.

Asheville Humane Society

Asheville Humane Society is currently operating two pet supply and food distribution sites at:

– Asheville Humane Society Animal Care Campus, 14 Forever Friend Lane in West Asheville.
– River Ridge Shopping Center, 800 Fairview Road behind Gabe’s in East Asheville.

Affordable pet care clinics are available at the Asheville Humane Society Animal Care Campus on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Appointments are encouraged and are released for scheduling each week. For more information on the services available or to schedule online, visit ashevillehumane.org/events.

For additional information on the programs available at the Asheville Humane Society, call 828-761-2001.

Important Road Safety

We remind our community that the entire county is an active and dynamic environment with debris trucks, utility contractors, and continued road and safety hazards. Respect all barricades and road closure signs. DO NOT, under any circumstances, try to drive around barricades. Treat redlight outages as a four way stop. Plan extra time when traveling as many GPS systems still do not recognize closed roads. Be patient with debris trucks and utility workers as they do their important work.

Public officials will hold news briefings Monday – Friday at 11 a.m. The briefings are streamed live at facebook.com/buncombeGov and broadcast on Blue Ridge Public Radio 88.1 FM. You can also listen on the Asheville Media Group stations at 105.9, 96.5, 98.1, 105.5 and 97.3 (Spanish) and iHeart radio stations at 99.9, 104.3, 105.1, and 570 AM.