Restoration of Buncombe Helene: Asheville Holiday Parade canceled

Buncombe County Helene’s recovery briefing on Friday, November 15, covered a target date for lifting the boil water notice in the area, a date when trash collection on private property will be available, and more.

Also included were daily updates on food and water distribution and locations of community care centers where showers, laundry and other supplies are available.

Briefings go live on the Buncombe County Facebook page at 11am on weekdays. On the page you will also find recordings of previous briefings. Here’s what was discussed during Friday’s briefing.

Asheville’s holiday parade has been canceled

City staff are focusing on essential cleanups, infrastructure restoration and support for affected residents. As a result, the traditional holiday parade cannot take place.

“We are focused on how we can safely and effectively bring holiday cheer to our community in a way that supports our ongoing storm recovery work,” said City Manager Deborah Campbell.

In lieu of a full-scale parade, the city is introducing a “Holiday Jamboree,” a community gathering in Pack Square Park on Saturday, November 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The aim is to celebrate community resilience and bring residents together.

When will Asheville’s boil water notice be lifted? Asheville Water Updates

Asheville Water Resources representative Clay Chandler said results of a lead and copper sample from North Fork well water came back negative for lead, although a trace amount of copper was detected well below limits.

The turbidity on November 15 was 15.5, a slight increase from November 14, the first day in weeks where the turbidity did not decrease.

More than 20 million liters are pumped through the system every day. Contractors for the USACE project continue to work 24 hours a day. The timeline for project completion remains the same: late November to early December. Debris removal continues at DeBruhl with the help of FEMA and other organizations.

Chandler added that the mechanism used to push raw water into the system will be taken offline starting Friday evening, November 15, as the use of treated water combined with customer usage has provided data that they say is sufficient to conclude that the system, for the most part, was reversed, with most of the raw water being replaced by treated water.

This also means water officials can begin the sampling process to potentially lift the boil water notice. This process and plan was developed in collaboration with the EPA and DEQ and will begin tomorrow, November 16th. The total number of samples required is 120; based on a daily rate of approximately 40 samples, this process should be completed late Monday, November 18.

These bacteria samples have an incubation period of 18 to 24 hours, meaning that by the afternoon or evening of Tuesday, November 19, Water Services will have insight into the health of the distribution system and whether it will be possible to resolve the boil. water notice.

Risk reduction program

NC Emergency Management Hazard Mitigation personnel will be available at the Asheville Mall today, Friday, November 15, to assist property owners at the Asheville Mall from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This program helps protect against further damage and losses after a disaster with options such as buying back homes at what they were worth before the storm, elevating homes above the estimated level of a 100-year storm, and more.

To start applying online, visit ncdps.gov/our-organization/emergency-management/disaster-recovery/hazard-mitigation-grants-information-request

Repairs of private roads and bridges

Financing is available for repairs to private roads and bridges, even if the owner’s home is not damaged. Visit disasterrelief.govcall 1-800-621-3362, or visit the Disaster Recovery Center, open daily at the Asheville Mall from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Small business recovery grants

For-profit businesses in Buncombe County and the City of Asheville are eligible to receive grants of up to $25,000 to support remediation costs not covered by insurance or other funding sources.

Applications are open today through November 27 and can be found at mountainbizworks.org/abgrants/ *available in Spanish*

Community care stations

Community Care Stations are open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and offer showers, laundry facilities and more. All community care stations now have ADA accessible showers and bathrooms. You can drop off and collect laundry at Swannanoa Ingles.

Community care station locations include:

Parking lot at Home Store on Brevard Road
Big Lots / Innsbrook Shopping Centre
Buncombe County Sports Park
Bethel United Methodist
Fairview Ingles
Swannanoa Ingles
Owen Pool
Morgan Hill Baptist Church

Where to get food and water in Buncombe County

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

Sky Lanes bowling alley
Black Mountain Ingles
Swannanoa Ingles
Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
Pak Square Park
Buncombe County Sports Park

Launch date of the private property removal program

The private property removal program will begin Tuesday, November 19. There will be an online application option, in-person applications and a call center for questions about debris. More information will follow early next week.

Why is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Asheville?

Corey Koger of the US Army Corps of Engineers provided a debris update and answers to some frequently asked questions. He described several USACE projects.

First, Koger explained the debris removal efforts. The right-of-way is the strip of land from the edge of your property, including utilities and sidewalk, approximately 10 to 15 feet from the edge of the street. This is where to take the debris if you need help removing debris.

Different trucks pick up different materials because there are separate dumps. Do not place waste in black plastic bags as this slows down the collection process. Because of these separate dumps, the USACE has requested that anyone placing debris on the sidewalk segregate that debris on the sidewalk into these categories:

Devices
Hazardous household waste such as batteries, paint, varnish, pesticides, etc.
Electronics
Vegetation
Construction and demolition waste

Koger added that although they are mulching the vegetative waste, this mulch will not be used due to potential hazards. The USACE is not responsible for clearing debris caused by landslides. Contact your local emergency response agency for landslide debris collection.

Koger then provided some more information about the Debris Removal Program for Private Homes. Due to right-of-way access from public or private streets, the USACE is not currently entering properties. Collection of access rights will be conducted by contractors for the city or county so that contractors can survey properties through the PPDR. After this, the debris can be removed. Koger reminded the audience that this is a lengthy process that does not happen overnight.

Finally, Koger explained that FEMA and USACE teams are currently conducting waterway assessments to determine which wastes are eligible for collection. At the moment, it mainly concerns rubble that could pose a threat to the population. Once the eligible debris is determined, they will inspect, contract and begin collecting the debris in the waterways.

Vehicles, vessels and property will not be removed by the USACE. Instead, they will ensure that local municipalities are given priority to collect through official processes, which cannot be completed through the force.

Rental utilities

As of Oct. 22, the Asheville City Council authorized the allocation of $1 million in existing municipal funds to support the rental subsidy. Since then, the city has partnered with Eblen Charities to administer the rental subsidy. City Manager Deborah Campbell explained that staff confirmed that Eblen will provide equitable access to city residents seeking assistance, including undocumented individuals and households.

This means ensuring that documentation requirements do not exclude anyone who is undocumented or unable to meet typical requirements due to storm-related losses. In previous cases, Eblen has required a Social Security number due to funding source requirements. However, with the city’s funding, immigration status is not and should not be a barrier.

Like other service providers, Eblen has received a large wave of applications, which affects the turnaround time for applicants. They have worked to hire additional staff, increasing headcount by 42%.

Collecting debris in Asheville

As of November 13, more than 81,732 cubic yards of storm debris were collected in Asheville. The work is still focused on clearing the public road. Residents and businesses are encouraged to sort debris and take it to the curb.

Today, contractors will run 30 trucks in zones:

Zone 1 – 1 truck
Zone 2 – 1 truck
Zone 3 – 6 trucks
Zones 4 and 5 – 8 trucks
Zone 6 – 6 trucks
Zones 7 and 8 – 8 trucks

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].