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Last Day for D-SNAP, Early Voting Elections Update & Disaster Recovery Center Move

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: 

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

Look for signs (like shown in the group picture above) to show you where these community care stations are as you travel in the community.  

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: 

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

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 Elections Director Corrine Duncan during her elections update during 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: 

  • Black Mountain Library, 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain 
  • East Asheville Library, 3 Avon Road, Asheville 
  • Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sand Hill Road, Candler 
  • Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview 
  • Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy., Leicester 
  • South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road, Asheville 
  • UNCA Health & Counseling Center, 118 W.T Weaver Blvd., Asheville (new location) 
  • Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville 
  • Dr. Wesley Grant Southside Center, 285 Livingston St., Asheville 
  • West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road, Asheville 

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: 

Black Mountain Trailblazer riders will have access to the Black Mountain Library 

Enka-Candler Trailblazer riders will have access to the Enka-Candler Library 

North Buncombe riders will have access to the Weaverville Community Center 

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.

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: 

  • Hands-On Asheville Buncombe, an online platform that assists with the mobilization of the thousands of volunteers that will be necessary to recover from this disaster in the days, months and years ahead. 
  • Volunteer Reception Center at 50 S. French Board Avenue is open every day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. United Way has partnered with Buncombe County Government and Lutheran Disaster Response and Relief to launch an in-person Volunteer Reception Center (VRC). This in-person center will serve as a hub for individuals and groups of volunteers who wish to volunteer to simply walk in whenever the center is open and they will be connected to whatever recovery efforts need volunteers that day. To contact the center, email uwabcvrc@gmail.com or call 813-485-1354. 
  • Partners, including national disaster recovery organizations can register their volunteer opportunities on Hands-On, which will automatically register them for the VRC at the same time. Email the Hands On team at info@handsonasheville.org or call 828-393-5628. 

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: 

  • FEMA and Disaster Benefits: Applying for FEMA assistance or other disaster relief benefits can be complicated. Pisgah Legal staff is prepared to assist families with these applications to ensure they receive the help they’re entitled to. 
  • Housing and Evictions: Evictions tend to rise sharply after natural disasters and the Pisgah Legal housing team is working to stop homelessness before it happens. 
  • Know Your Rights: Pisgah Legal’s attorneys and advocates are providing resources for the community to understand their rights following a natural disaster in areas such as housing, consumer protections and benefits. Pisgah Legal is spreading these messages through the media as well as on our website and social media channels.  
  • Domestic Violence Prevention: Domestic violence increases in times of high stress, like a natural disaster. Pisgah Legal attorneys are working to support survivors during this stressful time, including helping them navigate complicated custody issues due to relocations and lack of contact.  

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. 

Table: News Item Documents
File NameSizeTypeDate & Time Added
Shareable: Helene Recovery Resources One-Pager 10.24 328 KB 10/24/2024 2:50 PM

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Updated Nov 13, 2024 03:18 PM
Published Oct 24, 2024 02:27 PM