Helene Recovery: Fire Safety, U.S. Geological Survey Updates & Water System Restoration

At the end of the day Friday, the food and water distribution sites at North Windy Ridge Intermediate School and Estes Elementary School will close to support school reopening. There will be no other changes to water and food sites or community care stations over the weekend.   
Food and water distribution sites: AC Reynolds High School, Buncombe County Sports Park, Black Mountain Ingles, Fairview Elementary School, Swannanoa Ingles, Leicester Elementary School, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, Sky Lane Bowling, At Home Store (former Kmart), Pack Square Park, and Innsbrook Mall (former Big Lots).   

The Town of Black Mountain water is now under a boil water notice, meaning after vigorously boiling for one minute, this water can be used for drinking, cooking, and more. In Weaverville, there is no longer a boil water advisory, so that water can be consumed without boiling. 
As of this afternoon, 469 Duke Energy customers in Buncombe County remain without power.  

There will be a Candlelight Vigil on Tuesday, Oct. 22 starting at 6 p.m. at Pack Square Park to remember the losses of Hurricane Helene. 

Early Voting  
Early voting continues through the weekend between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The ballot is quite long, but you can view it at buncombecounty.org/vote before you go so you can see everything that’s included. Voting location sites include:  

• Black Mountain Library  
• East Asheville Library  
• Enka-Candler Library   
• Fairview Library   
• Leicester Community Center  
• South Buncombe Library  
• UNCA Health & Counseling Center  
• Weaverville Community Center  
• Dr. Wesley Grant Southside Center   
• West Asheville Library  

Parks Updates 
Buncombe County parks are closed and all Parks and Recreation events, including Fall-O-Ween, are canceled indefinitely as staff have been reassigned to help with disaster recovery and response. As of today, several Asheville Parks & Recreation parks have reopened. The list of reopened parks are at ashevillenc.gov/parks.  

Fire Safety  
Important safety reminders as the community continues to receive power. If your electrical service has not been restored, please turn off all circuit breakers in your panel, especially your water heater.  

• Once power is restored, please turn them on one at a time with a short pause between breakers. Start with lighting and outlets first before major appliances.  
• Do not turn on the water heater until you have ensured the tank is full.  
• Do not re-power your home and leave. Monitor your home for smoking, discolored, or excessively warm outlets.  
• Visually monitor your circuit panel for smoke or excessive heat.  

Open Burning  
Area fire chiefs and the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency urges community members not to burn. If you must burn, please continue to exercise extreme caution with open burning:  

• Use small three feet in diameter and height piles.  
• Maintain clearances of 25 feet around burn piles.  
• Have a method of extinguishment.  
• The area has not reached or is forecasted to reach humidity and wind levels to constitute a burn ban. This information is analyzed daily by the "fire weather forecast" as published by the N.C. Forest Service. Conditions and the forecasts are constantly monitoring. 

D-SNAP  
Starting today through Oct. 24., Buncombe County residents can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Individuals and households not currently receiving food and nutrition services benefits who were impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for D-SNAP. People can start applying for assistance now through Tuesday, Oct. 22 through the online pre-registration at?epass.nc.gov or by calling D-SNAP Virtual Call Center at 1-844-453-1117.? Applications can also be made in-person at 40 Coxe Ave. Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

FEMA 
Nearly 37,000 people have been approved for more than $43.5 million in Buncombe County. Register for disaster assistance at disassterassistance.gov, by calling FEMA 1-800-621-3362, downloading the FEMA app, or visiting the Disaster Assistance Center at A.C. Reynolds High School. 
If home inspections show inaccessibility issues, people can call FEMA at 1-800-621-3362 or visiting the Disaster Recovery Center to schedule an appointment  
FEMA is hiring a team in Western North Carolina, for jobs visit usajobs.com. 

Social Security Administration 
The federal agency has been helping the community with social security staff presence at the Disaster Recovery Center. So far, they have helped serve 1,830 people. 

U.S. Geological Survey 
U.S. Geological Survey staff map, model, and respond to landslide events. In terms of the impact to the community, this is one of the worst in U.S. history, said Jonathan Godt, Landslide hazard Program Coordinator. There were at least 1,000 landslides initiated by the pre-storm and Hurricane Helene. The good news is that no large landslides have been identified that could occur in the coming weeks or months. 
During heavy rainfall, landslide scarps, which are steep portions of land with exposed dirt and rock, can be active again during heavy rainfall. 
Three things that can determine a landslide are the steepness of the mountain, the amount of precipitation, and the path the water and mountain can go which is typically a stream channel. The chance for a landslide increases if it rains more than 5 inches in 24 hours or a few inches for several days in a row. For more information, visit landslides.usgs.gov. 

Disaster Debris Removal 
Disaster debris removal is underway at public roads and right of ways in Buncombe County. SDR is the County’s removal contractor which specializes in disaster recovery. Estimates show that Hurricane Helene created 5 million cubic yards of debris in the public right of ways in incorporated Buncombe County alone. With this historic amount, it will be a long removal process.  
There are three temporary debris disaster sites in Buncombe County: Cane Creek Park, the old Enka Landfill in Woodfin, and at the AB Tech Campus in Candler, all permitted through a process with the state. These sites are only to be accessed by SDR, not the public.  
A reminder that trucks are making several passes. Citizens should push their debris at the right of way even at sites that were previously full and were picked up, trucks will come by again to pick up.  
Put safety first when moving debris, use appropriate protective gear including long pants, long sleeves, safety gloves and glasses. Do not block roads with debris. 
The Solid Waste department is engaging with partners in the assessment process for debris pickup on private roads. 

Public Health 
Dr. Jennifer Mullendore, Buncombe County Health and Human Services Medical Director provided important health guidelines for people as they recover from Hurricane Helene. These included recommendations regarding tetanus, wound care, mold-related illnesses, and carbon monoxide. These can be found here.  

City of Asheville Permits 
Permits available at develop.ashevillenc.gov. Permits are available for immediate removal of debris related items and reconstruction. All permit fees are waived. 
Emergency Permits in response to Helene are available at develop.Ashevillenc.gov for building repairs, including electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work. Fees are waived, and permits are issued within 24 hours. Special rules apply for historic districts and flood zones. 
Permits are required for all work, and damage over $40,000 must use a licensed contractor. Phase 2 of building damage assessments began on Oct. 17 and will post buildings with green (safe), yellow (partially safe), or red (unsafe) tags. For more details, visit the website or contact PAC@ashevillenc.gov or 828-259-5846. 

Water System Repair Updates 
Currently, water backfilling and re-pressurization is happening at water lines, so leaks and breaks continue to be found as this happens. 
At Eastmoor, contractors were able to clean up a lot of debris and made one connection today and are working on a second connection today. Work continues on a temporary line at this site and the goal is to start pushing water this evening to residents serviced by this line.  
The North Fork Reservoir is undergoing sediment treatment process, crews are waiting a couple of days to see how effective the first round of treatment was, before beginning second treatment.  
Service is now back to 90-95% of the system, some places do not have service. Please note that many elevated areas are still without water because more water pressure is needed to get water to these elevations. 

Goodwill 
About 400 people work in the Asheville-area Goodwills. Goodwill has focused on connecting and supporting team members, reopening locations, and opening community response centers for training, workforce services and community collaboration. 
Goodwill’s community response includes opening three community hub locations serving as a centralized site for goodwill to provide programs, services, and retail resources. The Asheville location is at 1616 Patton Avenue in Asheville. At this hub, team members will help file for Disaster Unemployment Assistance, information on applying or reapplying for FEMA, and submitting insurance claims. 
The Goodwill Good Neighbor Voucher program provides $25 to individuals who have need for goods, clothing, household items. Goodwill is also taking donations with a special need for coats and items to keep warm. 

The next community briefing will be on Monday at 11 a.m.