Buncombe County Helene Recovery Update October 10

Buncombe County -- October 10, 2024:Press Release:  Buncombe County Government Community Care Station, Disaster

Recovery Center, and Restaurant Reopening

As of 9:30 a.m. today, 36,000 customers in Buncombe County remain without power. With cooler temperatures approaching, our shelters remain open: 

AB Tech Conference Center: 16 Fernihurst Drive, Asheville   
Medical Emergency Shelter (for individuals dependent on medical equipment): 10 Genevieve Circle, Asheville   
Former Gold’s Gym (Novant Health): 1815 Hendersonville Road, Asheville (family friendly)   
WNC Ag Center: 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher (pet friendly) 

Eblen Charities is distributing warm clothing at 23 Hamilton St. daily from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Community Care Stations   

A Community Care Station is now open in Swannanoa at 2319 Hwy 70 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., offering showers, laundry, bathrooms, access to cell towers, Wi-Fi, potable and non-potable water and counseling. Hot meals will be available between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you have detergent, shower shoes, towels, and toiletries, please bring them with you when you come. If you don’t, they will be provided for you. Emergency responders will have access to the station outside of public hours.

Disaster Recovery Center 

A Disaster Recovery Center is now open at AC Reynolds High School (1 Rocket Drive, Asheville). This is a one-stop shop for assistance, including FEMA and the Small Business Administration. We encourage people who have been impacted by the storm to visit the Disaster Recovery Center. Assistance teams are also going out in the community to help survivors apply for assistance and report any emerging need. Please be cautious of scammers—FEMA will never ask for money and staff will always have a badge. 
FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are in the following locations today: 
Black Mountain   
Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza, Asheville. 
Emma Community, 528 Emma St., Asheville. (Oct. 10 is last day, Spanish speakers available)   
New Bridge Baptist Church, 199 Elkwood Ave., Asheville. 
800 Fairview Road, Asheville.   
Beech Community Center, 15 State Road 2114, Weaverville. 
Swannanoa - 503 Park St.   
Walmart - 60 Airport Road, Arden. 
Riceville Community Church, 2342 Riceville Road, Asheville.  
Montford North Star Academy, 90 Montford Ave., Asheville (9 a.m. – 2 p.m.) 

Water Updates   

At 1 a.m. on Thursday, City of Asheville contractor T&K Utilities connected North Fork's 36-inch bypass line to the water distribution system. This is a significant milestone, but there remains a lot of work to do before customers will start receiving water. Repairs continue on the badly damaged water distribution system, and Water Resources is working with the EPA and engineering firms on ways to clear up the highly murky water in North Fork's reservoir. Full service restoration is still weeks away. The City of Asheville will provide further updates during the community briefing tomorrow. 

Water customers in the Town of Black Mountain may begin seeing water service today – this water should not be consumed, even if boiled.  

Trash Pickup Update   

WastePro will run regular routes on Friday, Oct. 11, in Weaverville and Barnardsville.  
Dropoff sites for Thursday, Oct. 10: Please drop off bagged, household trash at trucks located at North Buncombe Pool at 734 Clarks Chapel Road in Weaverville. Hours will be 8:30 am-3:30pm.    
Environmental Health Updates 
Since Helene, Environmental health has received 43 applications for new wells. As a reminder, a permit for drilling a well is needed before drilling a water well at homes in Buncombe County and the City of Asheville. The application can be found online at buncombecounty.org/eh.   
Well water testing kits continue to be available at 30 Valley St. Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Restaurants: Our food & lodging inspectors have been busy helping food service establishments reopen safely. We have only taken regulatory action for establishments that lost power and/or water during the storm and that are offering food for pay. Here are some guidelines we are using to reopen food service establishments quickly and in the best interest of public health:  

Food service establishments that experienced an interruption in water or power need a visit from our office to re-instate their permit. We have been able to accommodate either same day visits or schedule a visit at a time convenient with the operator.  

Food service establishments that do not have a functioning municipal water source and would like to reopen need to complete an Emergency Operations Plan application; those applications have been emailed out to all restaurants in our database. These plans are being reviewed by the state’s Environmental Health section. Once the plans are approved, our inspectors are making visits to reopen the establishments.  

Food service establishments with water and under a boil water advisory need to follow best practices as outlined on our Boil Water Fact Sheet found on buncombecounty.org/eh. These establishments do not need to submit an Emergency Operations Plan and do not need a visit from our office prior to opening.  
Food service establishments that did not experience an interruption in power or water need to reach out to our office at 828-250-5016 and let us know. 

Asheville Regional Airport Updates 

Through the hurricane, Asheville Regional Airport became a critical disaster relief gateway, supporting military, emergency responders, and civilian pilots in delivering essential aid to those in need. The airport is currently open for travel. Some helpful information to those who may need to use Asheville Regional Airport in the coming weeks:    
Passengers should contact their airline for the most up-to-date information about their specific flight status before coming to the airport.   

Ground transportation, including taxis, Ubers, and Lyfts, are available and have somewhat stabilized, with the return of fully operational gas stations; however, we have seen a reduction in the number of drivers operating at this time.  Please be aware and plan accordingly.      
Flyavl.com is being kept updated with frequently asked questions and helpful information for travelers. For those who cannot access, you can also call 828-684-2226. 

Town of Woodfin Updates 

Work this week at the Town of Woodfin has focused on maintaining and expanding the distribution of food, water, and other essential supplies to residents.  
Resources: 
New Bridge Baptist Church at 199 Elkwood Ave. continues to serve as the main hub for much of Woodfin and operates daily: water is available 10 a.m.- p.m., and food/ice/and other goods are available from 3-5 pm.  
Woodfin staff and volunteers continue to shuttle hot food, water, and other supplies over to Victory Baptist Church, located at 80 Olivette Road, from Monday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. Additionally, for those residents on the west side.  
New Liberty Baptist Church, at 625 Olivette Road, is offering assistance Monday through Friday from 9-10 a.m. and in the afternoon from 4-7 p.m.   
New Life Community Church, located at 147 New Life Drive has water, non-perishable food, and other essential supplies.   

If you or someone you know needs to have supplies brought to them in Woodfin, please tell a volunteer, police officer, or call town hall at 828-253-4887. If you can supply a name, address or phone number, we have many volunteers available to help bring supplies to our residents in need.  
Roads: Almost all roads in Woodfin are now completely clear. Motorists travelling the following roads should travel slowly, and continue to exercise caution: Sunny Ridge, Breckenridge, Powers Road, Old Marshall Hwy., Leisure Mountain Road, Old Burnsville Hill Road. These roads were more severely impacted and will require additional clearing and repair work.  

Woodfin Water Update: Woodfin is making good progress on water restoration. The treatment plant is running at 100% capacity with enough supplies. The transmission line is 90% functional, with crews still inspecting for leaks. The Reynolds Tank is supplying 25% of customers, but a boil advisory remains in effect for drinking water. The Herron Cove Pump Station is operating on an emergency generator, and the Baird Cove Tank is being filled, with plans to release water soon. Most breaks have been repaired, except for two areas, which should be fixed by the end of the day.