Hurricane Helene Resources

Hurricane Helene Updates with Links and Resources

We are GreenWorks STRONG <3

If you are able to support our work financially, donate here. If you want to receive these updates via email, sign up for our General Communications emails here.

Click here for our Amazon wish list to purchase and send supplies for our future cleanups. Thank you!

If you want to volunteer or donate supplies to help us with our clean up work, go to ashevillegreenworks.org/helenevolunteer and fill out the form. Thank you <3

Helpful links:

These updates are going to keep coming, but here are some great local media resources to follow, too:

Tropical Storm Helene Recovery Resources - The City of Asheville (ashevillenc.gov)

County Center - Buncombe County Hurricane Helene Updates - Actualizaciones Sobre el Huracán Helene en el Condado de Buncombe

Emergency Preparedness - Buncombe County Emergency Services | Asheville (Scroll down for helpful phone numbers and link, live stream of downtown Asheville from the courthouse)

Follow Buncombe County Government (@buncombecounty) • Instagram Buncombe County updates are broadcast on Facebook live at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and also on the radio on 88.1 or 107.9 FM. These updates are broadcast in Spanish on 97.3 FM.

Follow City of Asheville (@cityofasheville) • Instagram

Follow Blue Ridge Public Radio (@blueridgepublicradio) • Instagram for live updates

Facebook groups where people are sharing resources: Hurricane Helene: N. Asheville/Weaverville /Woodfin /Mars Hill | Facebook and Hurricane Helene: ASHEVILLE | Facebook

Asheville/WNC Resources - Google Docs

Appalachian Hurricane Helene Relief Resources - Google Drive

More information on Duke Energy’s power restoration efforts:

State resources for information on the status of utilities, debris sites, etc.:

Update #17, Wednesday, November 20

Update #16, Sunday November 10: Reforest Asheville Edition | We Still Love Trees <3

Happy Sunday. It looks like it's going to be chilly and rainy, making it the perfect day to visit our online tree shop and pick out a few trees to replace those lost to Hurricane Helene.

We've rebranded our annual Native Tree Adoption Event from a one-day event limited to one tree per resident to a week-long Tree Reforestation Effort, where you can get multiple trees to reforest your property.

We understand that not everyone may be ready to replant after the storm. Rest assured, we will have more of these events to make trees available for you when you are prepared to start replanting.

If you are ready to plant, visit our website's tree store to select your trees. Thanks to our fall tree sale fundraiser, trees are available for free or at significantly reduced prices. Thank you to all who purchased trees as a part of our Fall Tree Sale, your purchase helps make this event possible!

If you need more than ten trees, please contact our Community Forestry and Nursery Manager, Sara Millar. You can also add a donation or Reforest Asheville Gift Cards to your order to allow us to provide more free and low-cost trees to those who need them.

Once you've placed your order, visit the nursery at 24 Apac Cir, Asheville, NC, 28806, during any of the days and times listed below. We will add more days and times as needed, but this is what we're starting with.

Tuesday, November 12 through Friday, November 15: 9 a.m. to noon & 3 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 16: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Asheville GreenWorks will continue to lead Buncombe County’s reforestation efforts through programs like this one. Your donation of any amount will make a difference. With your support, we can raise more trees, which means more trees in the ground. Click the button below to donate.

I want to help reforest Asheville

That's all, folks! Happy shopping.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #15, Thursday, November 7

Hey y'all, this one will be quick and dirty because there are some things I wanted to tell you ASAP.

First, the WNC Mountain Strong Career Fair is tomorrow, Friday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Harrah's Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville. The event brings over 75 employers and a ton of essential resources to support your job search. FEMA, Pisgah Legal, On Track, All Souls Counseling, YMI Cultural Center, and more will also be on-site with additional resources. It is open to all, and no registration is required. Bring your resume!

Another mental health resource is All Souls Counseling Center, which hosts a free weekly series called "Mental Health Mondays" from 2 to 3 p.m. This coming Monday, November 11, Dr. Stephanie Citron will lead a free "Tools for Resilience" session to provide practical strategies and equip you with the tools to foster resilience and healing during difficult times. Register here.

The City of Asheville released its FEMA Recovery Guide today.

The results are in. Click here to see North Carolina election results. To see Buncombe County results, select the election date (11/05/2024) in the dropdown menu and then select Buncombe in the next drop-down menu.

Speaking of results, where do all these signs go now that the election is over?

Why, to Curbie, of course! Curbside Management, aka Curbie, has two carts designated for political signs and their metal stakes in front of its location at 116 N Woodfin Ave, Woodfin, NC 28804. Please drop off signs in their respective bins Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for recycling by Curbie.

If you want to let Governor-elect Josh Stein know your thoughts or ideas about improving the state of North Carolina, you can submit them here: stein2024transition.org. On the website, you can apply for roles in his cabinet and administration or learn more about serving on boards and commissions.

That's all, folks! Happy Thursday.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #14, Wednesday, November 6

A couple of weeks ago, my coworker Sara, Paul (my husband), and I went to Pack Square Park for the candlelight vigil hosted by the City of Asheville. I didn't want to go because I was afraid of feeling sad, bad, mad, [insert scary emotion here]. But we went because we hoped it would be good for us. Spoiler alert: it was.

I cried so much. Sooooo much. I also laughed. I hugged people. I made new friends. We somehow even found a GreenWorks board member who stood next to me through all of the above (you're the best, Todd!).

Everyone in that park was there for the person next to them, going through the same thing, collectively grieving and figuring out how to move forward. One saying I heard that day that stuck with me is, "In receiving, we understand the true quality of giving."

I've been thinking about that sentence a lot lately. I love helping the people around me and giving whatever I can to help make their day a little better, especially now. We have all been giving so much, and I think sometimes we forget to allow ourselves to receive, too (myself included).

That day in the park, I received support, validation, and a reminder that it's okay to share the burden of grief and sadness with those around you because we are all in the same storm, just in different boats.

You are so important to me. I want you to remember that it's okay to stop giving for just a minute and receive. Take care of yourself. Also, listen to this song by Adam Pope. Have your tissues ready. You have been warned. Crying is good for you.

Taking care of yourself includes your mental health. Allow yourself to take time for yourself and do something just for you this week. For me, that will probably look like drinking bubbly while listening to Chappell Roan and bringing all my plants inside for the winter.

If you need a little inspiration, we recommend checking out one of the mental health support services events offered by Heart of Horse Sense. Click each link below to RSVP (recommended but not required) and learn more. Some days, you just need to hug a horse. That day could be today!

In addition to hugging horses, Resources for Resilience offers free access to Listening Circles any weekday from noon to 1 p.m. for any WNC resident affected by Hurricane Helene.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or upset, saw or responded to something difficult, or are looking to connect with others in the community, join any session to lean on one another and highlight what is helping us through this difficult time.

If healing for you means helping clean up our beloved spaces after the storm, we have three new volunteer opportunities this week focusing on the River Arts District. These are all family-friendly cleanups and will involve walking while picking up trash.

Responding to a request from our partners with the City of Asheville, we pivoted our cleanup plans late yesterday afternoon to focus primarily on the areas within the district with trees. Our team hopes to assess trees while the cleanup around them is ongoing. If anyone can bring A-frame or tree ladders to the cleanup on Saturday, please do!

Stay informed of our latest volunteer opportunities by signing up for our email list and/or creating an account on our Volunteer Hub.

Our Amazon wish list continues to evolve as we receive the items we need and identify new needs. We just updated the list today. Thank you to all who have sent these amazing gifts to help us continue our work. Y'all are the best!

We'll be selling pawpaw trees at The Hop on Merrimon this Friday, November 8, from 3 to 6 p.m. to celebrate their pawpaw ice cream release. Get a tree and a sweet treat at the same time; what a deal!

If you miss this sale, we'll be selling or giving away trees on our website all month.

Instead of our usual Fall Tree Adoption Event, we are launching an extended Fall Tree Reforestation Effort. Rather than a single-day event at the Buncombe County Sports Complex, we will offer multiple days and times for convenient tree pickup at Sand Hill Nursery. This change aims to reduce traffic congestion and ensure that the community storm supply distribution center at the sports complex can operate smoothly.

In previous years, our Tree Adoption Event allowed one tree per household for Buncombe County residents. However, we understand that not everyone may be ready to replant after the storm. Rest assured, we will have trees available for you when you are prepared to start replanting. Our new Tree Reforestation Effort will focus on providing free and low-cost trees in larger quantities for those ready to replace storm-damaged trees and help restore our urban canopy.

We will let you know once this event is live on our website, but you can check ashevillegreenworks.org/shop for the most up-to-date tree quantities and prices. We will have extended pickup times and days to accommodate as many schedules as possible. Don't worry; if none of the times work for you, we'll help you find the best time to get your trees.

If you're able to donate to our Future Forward Fund, we're using those funds to address our community's most pressing environmental needs. From organizing cleanups to providing more trees to reforest Asheville and its surrounding areas, we will put your gift to work immediately.

A team of TreeKeepers recently visited our in-ground nursery and dug over 300 trees out of the mud swept in by Hurricane Helene. Way to go, team!

The City of Asheville released the Small Business Recovery Guide yesterday. The guide offers information on securing emergency permits, available grants and loans, and understanding available city services.

Their general Resource Recovery Guide, updated yesterday, November 5, can be found here. It includes information on Community Care Stations, FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers, Parks, Trash, Recycling, and Debris Removal.

The Community Care Station at AC Reynolds High School closed at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 and moved overnight to the Fairview Ingles (225 Charlotte Hwy). Starting at 7 a.m. today at the Fairview Ingles, you can wash clothes, shower, find potable water, and other previously available services at AC Reynolds. Find the full list of Community Care Stations and food and water distribution sites towards the end of this email.

Click here to watch an eight-and-a-half-minute video with Water Department Updates.

In this update, Water Resources Department representative Clay Chandler discussed ongoing efforts to improve water quality at North Fork Reservoir. Following a second round of in-reservoir treatment, turbidity levels dropped significantly, although more progress is needed. A third treatment round is likely to start next week. Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started an alternative treatment project using mobile treatment units, expected to be operational by late November or early December, barring any delays due to weather or regulatory approvals. This system aims to treat up to 25 million gallons per day, helping restore potable water supply by flushing out the system once the turbidity stabilizes.

The project has a few logistical and regulatory requirements, such as sludge disposal, environmental precautions, and coordination with the EPA and state DEQ. Meanwhile, the North Fork Reservoir is still providing some treated water at a reduced capacity, which explains why some residents may notice clearer water. However, fluctuating weather could impact turbidity, and the current "boil water" notice will remain until thorough system flushing and testing confirm consistent water quality.

Debris collection continues in the City of Asheville and Buncombe County, with 19 debris trucks running in the city and 34 in the county. The County trucks are currently prioritizing Swannanoa, Black Mountain, and Barnardsville.

Please place storm debris in the right of way to be collected and processed to divert as much as possible from our landfill, which has limited capacity.

Buncombe County parks open during daylight hours include Bent Creek River Park, Cane Creek Playground, Corcoran Paige River Park, Glen Bridge River Park, Hominy Valley Park, and North Buncombe Fields. Buncombe County Sports Park is partially open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Open areas include the dog park, community garden, disc golf course, fields 1, 2, 8, and 9, and the playground area. Other areas of the park remain closed to allow a community care station to continue to operate.

More than half of the City of Asheville's parks are now open. Visit ashevillenc.gov/parks to see the list of open parks and current programming.

Closed parks are unsafe, and only authorized staff are allowed to enter. Please avoid using the river at all parks.

Blue Ridge Parkway update: 
The National Park Service is actively assessing and repairing damaged sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway to reopen areas safely. Recently reopened sections include the Parkway from Milepost 405.5 at Elk Pasture Gap near Mount Pisgah to Milepost 420.2, giving access to trails in the Mount Pisgah and Graveyard Fields areas. However, the Devil’s Courthouse remains closed due to significant road damage.

Additionally, the Parkway reopened from Milepost 423.2 at Beach Gap to Milepost 469.1, which includes the Waterrock Knob Visitor Center and nearby trails. Later this week, a portion of the Asheville corridor is expected to reopen, allowing access from key roads, including HWY 70, HWY 74, HWY 25, and HWY 191. This will also restore visitor services, including the main Visitor Center and Folk Art Center.

Many areas remain closed due to hidden hazards, such as weakened roadways and unstable slopes. Unauthorized access is discouraged for safety reasons, and volunteer work is also not allowed in these areas until they are deemed safe.

Buncombe County reported last night that nearly 160,000 people voted in the County, with over 32,000 casting their ballots in person on election day. Thank you to all who worked to make this election possible while dealing with... well, everything. A special shout-out to all the poll workers who showed up at polling stations at 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning to start greeting voters. Y'all are rock stars!

The Tzu Chi Foundation, a partner of the American Red Cross, is providing emergency financial assistance to homeowners or renters whose primary residence was severely damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene. The deadline to apply is November 8. Click here to apply.

The N.C. Cooperative Extension is hosting two free chainsaw workshops this weekend to introduce chainsaw safety and best management practices for safely cleaning up debris. All skill levels, including those with little to no chainsaw experience, are welcome. Both workshops will have a classroom session and hands-on training to practice what you have learned. Register for either session here. All you have to bring is yourself and maybe a snack or sack lunch.

RAD Fest is this weekend! Visit the River Arts District on Saturday, November 9, and Sunday, November 10, from noon to sunset to find open studios and galleries showcasing displaced artists, music, and food trucks on Roberts Street, Clingman Avenue, and Depot Street (down to 362 Depot Street near NorthLight Studios).

All Community Care Stations now have ADA-accessible showers and bathrooms. The stations below are equipped with showers, laundry, food, and, in some cases, medical care, all available at no cost from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

  • Ingles Fairview (225 Charlotte Hwy) *new*

  • At Home Store (Parking Lot)

  • Big Lots/Innsbrook Mall

  • Buncombe County Sports Park

  • Bethel United Methodist

  • Ingles Swannanoa

  • Owen Pool in Swannanoa

  • Morgan Hill Baptist Church

Free Tdap, COVID, flu, and Hep A vaccines are available at the Community Care Stations listed below.

  • Swannanoa Ingles: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Buncombe County Sports Park: Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Big Lots: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m.

Food and water distribution are also continuing at:

  • Sky Lanes Bowling Alley

  • Black Mountain Ingles

  • Swannanoa Ingles

  • Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center

  • Pack Square Park

  • Buncombe County Sports Park

  • Fairview Ingles *new*

Visit ashevillegreenworks.org/helene for more links and past updates. If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up to receive these via email and check past updates at the link above.

Keep taking care of each other out there, and maybe let someone take care of you once in a while. Crying is good for you, and laughter is the best medicine. 

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #13, Wednesday, October 30

It's okay not to be okay. I feel like this has been my mantra this past week as I get back into the swing of my everyday routine. It doesn't seem to take much to make me feel overwhelmed and maybe a little panicky. I am not okay, but I will be. Life goes on, and so do we.

Imagining the magnitude of work to be done and knowing how long rebuilding and recovery will take feels like too much on most days, but it's also what gets me out of bed every day. If I don't get up and do something, nothing will get done.

So here I am, writing another email to you with as much information as I can pack into it to hopefully help you feel less overwhelmed and help you decide what you need to do for you. And writing these emails helps me cope, too.

Someone I admire recently told me we are all in the same storm, just in different boats. From one boat in this storm to another, hang in there. I'm here with you, and so is GreenWorks.

GreenWorks has always helped mobilize our community to address our most pressing environmental needs. Despite our current challenges, we are looking forward with hope.

We are planning our next few weeks of events and will soon send out an email with volunteer opportunities. If you haven't already signed up for those emails, go to ashevillegreenworks.org/helenevolunteer. The first email is coming soon!

You can help in many ways, even if you don't live in the Asheville area. Buy Reforest Asheville gift cards on our website and present them to your loved ones in Asheville to help replace trees lost in the storm. Or, send this email to your friends and family outside of Asheville and tell them that's what you want for Christmas.

We are also excited to announce that we will again partner with The Hop to sell pawpaw trees at their pawpaw ice cream release on November 8. Stay tuned for the exact location and time, but be sure to mark November 8 on your calendar to support our local partner in delicious cold treats. 

Our Fall Tree Sale is still going on! Go to ashevillegreenworks.org/shop to shop for available trees. 

Donate to our Future Forward Fund to sustain us on the long road to rebuilding and recovery ahead. Donations honoring loved ones also make for meaningful and impactful Christmas gifts.

We also need more supplies to equip our volunteers. We have created an Amazon wish list with the items we know work well and will withstand many cleanups. Thank you to everyone who sent items from the list; we just added more items today. Keep them coming!

Except for masks. You can stop sending those. GreenWorks received an amazing donation of more than 2,000 N-95 masks from our friends at the J.Crew Distribution Center in Arden! We will have them available at every cleanup from now on. Thank you, James and Team J.Crew!

DIY cleanups are up and running! Click here to reserve your supplies for pickup at our office at 2 Sulphur Springs Rd, Asheville, between 11 and 4 pm, Monday through Friday. Supplies are limited, so please reserve them on our Volunteer Hub if possible. We will try our best to accommodate DIY cleanup walk-ins to our office.

We will provide N-95 masks, gloves, grabbers, trash bags, and safety vests. Sharps containers are available by request.

Weekly nursery workdays are at our Sand Hill Nursery on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. You can sign up for a future workday on our Volunteer Hub.

We are still deciding whether we can hold our next Hard 2 Recycle event, scheduled for November 16. We will know one way or another next week and will let you know as soon as we do.

Trash Trout™ update: A few emails ago, I sent a few pictures of one of our Trash Trouts™ on top of a pile of debris in the River Arts District. I am happy to report that we have retrieved the device with no significant structural damage, and it will one day be able to resume its trash-catching duties.

A celebration of strength, resiliency, and vibrancy: You can visit the River Arts District's soft opening on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, from noon to sunset. Find open studios and galleries showcasing displaced artists, music, and food trucks on Roberts Street, Clingman Avenue, and Depot Street (down to 362 Depot Street near NorthLight Studios).

Curfew in the City of Asheville was lifted on October 21. ART bus services and parking at all city garages and parking spaces remain free until further notice.

Most of Asheville and Buncombe County's driver's license offices have reopened, except for Burnsville and Spruce Pine. If you have ordered or need to order a new ID or driver's license, they provide guidance on their website for obtaining them if you don't have mail service yet. All WNC license plate agencies have reopened except for Marshall, where the building suffered extensive damage.

WastePro is continuing to follow its regular schedule and service routes where accessible. Bagged household trash can be dropped off between 8:30 am and 3:30 pm on Thursday, October 31, at Ingles in Fairview and Friday, November 1, at North Buncombe Pool.

Buncombe County is resuming its transition to FCC Environmental Services, which will provide trash and recycling services effective January 1. If your trash can has a Waste Pro logo (like the ones below), you need to subscribe to FCC by December 15, 2024, to avoid interruption in your service. To sign up, call 828-820-7022 or visit fccenvironmental.com/buncombe-county.

The Community Care Station at Ingles in Swannanoa now features a drop-off laundry service. All Community Care Stations now have ADA-accessible showers and bathrooms. The stations below are equipped with showers, laundry, food, and, in some cases, medical care, all available at no cost from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

  • AC Reynolds High School

  • At Home Store (Parking Lot)

  • Big Lots/Innsbrook Mall

  • Buncombe County Sports Park

  • Bethel United Methodist

  • Ingles Swannanoa

  • Owen Pool in Swannanoa

  • Morgan Hill Baptist Church

Free Tdap, COVID, flu, and Hep A vaccines are available at the Community Care Stations listed below.

  • Swannanoa Ingles: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Buncombe County Sports Park: Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Big Lots: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m.

Food and water distribution are also continuing at:

  • Sky Lanes Bowling Alley

  • Black Mountain Ingles

  • Swannanoa Ingles

  • Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center

  • Pack Square Park

  • Buncombe County Sports Park

Debris cleanup in Buncombe County continues. Trucks will be in Zones E, G, and H today, as shown on the map below. Those zones are in the southeast areas of the county and include Fairview, Black Mountain, and Swannanoa. By the end of this week, Buncombe County says that trucks will expand to Zone D. Residents in all of these zones should get as much of their debris to the right-of-way as possible for pickup.

There will be multiple passes, and picking up storm debris will continue for months because of the magnitude of debris generated by the storm. Buncombe County estimated last week that there are 10 million cubic yards of debris in the entire county, with 2.5 million cubic yards within Asheville's city limits. Most debris hauler dump trucks can hold about 40 cubic yards of debris at a time if all the trash fits perfectly inside, which isn't always the case. Even at 40 cubic yards per load, 10 million cubic yards is about 250,000 truckloads of debris.

FEMA assistance is available in person at the Disaster Recovery Center at Cane Creek Pool, 590 Lower Brush Creek Rd, Fairview, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. You can register for FEMA assistance at this location by visiting disasterassistance.gov or calling 1-800-621-3362.

Spectrum anticipates having service restored to accessible homes within the next 48 hours. If you don't have service after that point, report it to Spectrum at Spectrum.net/helene.

The One Buncombe Call Center is available at 828-250-6100 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Hurricane Helene questions.

If you're like me and want to get outside and take advantage of this beautiful Fall weather, Buncombe County announced the opening of Glen Bridge and Corcoran River Parks yesterday. They are asking folks to avoid the river for the time being.

The disc golf course is also open at the Buncombe County Sports Park; please park by fields 1, 2, 8, and 9. The park continues to serve as a water distribution site and Community Care Station, so they are asking not to park in areas where those services are occurring.

Check here for the most up-to-date information on the open parks in the City of Asheville.

Click here for yesterday's (October 29) City of Asheville recovery resource guide. They are also releasing a weekly newsletter with recovery resources, which can be found here.

If your home or business was in an area severely flooded by the storm, the City of Asheville has created a webpage (ashevillenc.gov/severefloodareas) to provide information and compile resources for property owners dealing with difficult decisions and unique concerns for the repair and recovery process.

Early voting continues through Saturday, November 2, at 3 p.m. Click here to check wait times and other voter information.

Visit ashevillegreenworks.org/helene for more links and past updates. If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up to receive these via email and check past updates at the link above. Keep taking care of each other out there and holding kindness in your hearts.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #12, Thursday, October 24

I think I started putting "We are GreenWorks STRONG <3" at the top of my emails a few days into sending these updates. I remember wanting to let people know that GreenWorks is here, we aren't going anywhere, and we'll make it through this together. I wanted it to be a beacon of hope. And I added the heart at the end because we love you, too.

We are 26 days post-storm, and in these past few weeks, GreenWorks Strong has come to mean many things. It means we are resilient in the face of adversity. It means we show up for our community, we help, and we work together. It means we are compassionate, reliable, inclusive, and human.

Our small team of seven humans is back in the office regularly. You can find us at 2 Sulphur Springs Rd, Asheville, 28806, Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. If we are closed outside those hours, we will try to post on the door and social media. Otherwise, we'll be here for hugs, donations, cleanup supplies, and general moral support.

DIY cleanups are back! Click here to reserve your supplies for pickup at our office at 2 Sulphur Springs Rd, Asheville, between 11 and 4 pm, Monday through Friday. Supplies are limited, so please reserve them on our Volunteer Hub if possible. We will try our best to accommodate DIY cleanup walk-ins to our office.

We will provide gloves, grabbers, trash bags, and safety vests. Sharps containers are available by request.

You can support our cleanup efforts by donating or sending us items from our newly created Amazon wish list. Our tried-and-true picks will stand up to lots of use and not break easily. We'll take as many as you can send our way. The address should be pre-filled, but please let me know if you have any issues sending items from the list. Thank you!

As for where to clean up: wherever you see a need. Our staff has identified the following roads that will need a lot of love: Riverside Drive, Emma Road, Lyman Street, Robert Street, Craven Street, Amboy Road, Meadow Road, Clayton Road (Arden), Sweeten Creek Road, NC Highway 251 (Marshall Highway), Reems Creek Road, Flat Creek Road, and Monticello Road.

Following Buncombe County's health and safety recommendations, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, heavy-duty boots, and an N-95 mask or respirator if you plan to clean up in areas that experienced flooding (aka any of the roads we listed above).

Organized cleanups are coming soon. We're working on putting together opportunities for next week. If you haven't already, sign up at ashevillegreenworks.org/helenevolunteer to receive emails when we have volunteer opportunities available. You can also find additional volunteer opportunities through Hands On Asheville-Buncombe at handsonasheville.org. 

Our Fall Tree Sale is still going strong. Go to ashevillegreenworks.org/shop to shop our trees and purchase Reforest Asheville gift cards to send to your loved ones in the Asheville area to help them replace trees lost in the storm. If you don’t have anyone in Asheville to send a gift card, buy them anyway! We will use funds raised from Reforest Asheville gift cards to reforest our public spaces and help those unable to purchase trees replant what they lost.

Weekly nursery workdays are back at our Sand Hill Nursery on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. You can sign up for a future workday on our Volunteer Hub.

Unfortunately, our in-ground nursery was in the path of floodwaters, and many of our trees were buried under several inches of mud or swept away. GreenWorks staff and volunteers were able to reach the nursery earlier this week by bicycle (the bridge to get there was out) and take some photos (I am working on getting photos added to this page, bear with me! <3, C).

The bridge that allows vehicle access to the nursery has been temporarily repaired. Weekly workdays at our in-ground nursery will start soon. We'll include those volunteer opportunities in future emails.

We are also hard at work adapting our Native Tree Adoption event. We are still planning on holding the event and are working on the details. More to come soon.

Some of you have asked us about our Hard 2 Recycle event scheduled for November 18 at TC Roberson High School. We hope it will happen, but at this moment, we don't know. We are getting new information daily and doing everything we can to work with our partners to make it happen. We'll keep you posted.

We need more sharps containers for future cleanups! In accordance with the National Harm Reduction Coalition, we use thick laundry detergent containers to safely capture and dispose of syringes, needles, and other small sharp objects.

They must be made of thick plastic (so nothing can poke through them!), have a screw-on lid, a small drain spout, and a handle.

Please bring rinsed (if possible) containers with all the above features to our office at 2 Sulphur Springs Rd, Monday through Friday, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you need to leave containers outside these hours, please place them in the black bin to the right of the door in the parking lot. Thank you to all who have already dropped off containers!

Our very own Eric Bradford was interviewed on a special two-hour session of The Climate Buzz on 103.3 Asheville FM on Monday. The entire two-hour special isn’t updated by name on their website, so to listen, go to ashevillefm.org/archives, search by date:10/21/24, and segment: California Dreamin' and look for the segment by that name for 8:00AM - 9:00AM, October 21st, 2024. It is the segment right before the regular Climate Buzz hour.

The City of Asheville and Buncombe County offices opened yesterday, with some exceptions. Parks are slowly reopening as safety evaluations can be completed. For the most up-to-date list of city parks open, visit ashevillenc.gov/parks. All Buncombe County parks are closed except for North Buncombe Fields and Hominy Valley Park, which reopened yesterday. Libraries are open except for Oakley Library and Swannanoa Library.

A new Community Care Station opened this week at Owen Pool in Swannanoa. These stations are equipped with showers, laundry, food, and, in some cases, medical care, all available at no cost from 7 am to 7 pm. See the complete list below.

  • AC Reynolds High School

  • At Home Store (Parking Lot)

  • Big Lots/Innsbrook Mall

  • Buncombe County Sports Park

  • Bethel United Methodist

  • AC Reynolds Middle School

  • Ingles Swannanoa

  • Morgan Hill Baptist Church

  • *NEW* Owen Pool in Swannanoa

Food and water distribution are also continuing at:

  • Sky Lanes Bowling Alley

  • Black Mountain Ingles

  • Fairview Elementary

  • Swannanoa Ingles

  • Linwood Crump Shiloh -Community Center

  • Pack Square Park

  • Buncombe County Sports Park

  • AC Reynolds Middle School

The deadline for applying for D-SNAP benefits has been extended to Friday, October 25, by 4 p.m. Pre-register online at epass.nc.gov or by calling 1-844-453-1117. Everyone reading this in Buncombe County should apply if you haven't already.

Early voting is going on now! Click below for FAQs about this year's election and where to vote. Persons who are not already registered in a county may register to vote during early voting. This process is called "Same-Day Registration.”

County Center - FAQs About the 2024 Election, Including Hurricane-Related Information (buncombecounty.org)

Click here for the online portal to request an absentee ballot be mailed to you. You can also request one in person at 59 Woodfin Pl, Asheville, 28801, or by calling 828-250-4200. The deadline to submit an absentee request is Oct. 29.

If you plan to vote on Election Day, use this search tool to find your polling location. 17 of the 80 total voting sites across the county had to move to another location due to flood damage or because they are being used as a disaster relief or emergency operations hub. The replacement sites are listed here, and the complete list of Election Day polling locations is here.

Wine to Water began distributing non-potable and potable water at New Belgium this past week. They will continue to do so Tuesday through Saturday between 12:30 and 6:30 pm at 21 Craven St, Asheville. This week only, Curbside Management, aka Curbie, has a recycling drop-off bin at this location. Bring any extra recycling and fill up your water jugs while you're at it.

Curbie also accepts drop-off recycling at its facility at 116 North Woodfin, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Curbie is now back to running its regular recycling routes.

In the early days after the storm, Curbie's facility was without power and couldn't operate. Instead of letting their trucks sit in a parking lot somewhere until their recycling facility was back up and running, they chose to use them to help. Curbie trucks worked alongside WastePro, picking up trash wherever they could. Asheville GreenWorks is glad to call Curbie a partner. 

WastePro is running its regular routes where it is accessible. A truck will accept bagged household trash at North Buncombe Pool tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The County Landfill is open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Normal tipping fees apply, and commercial trash is accepted only at this location. The transfer station is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The transfer station accepts only recycling and household bagged trash with normal fees in effect.

All 45 Buncombe County Schools are opening tomorrow, Friday, October 25, with a two-hour delay. Asheville City schools will reopen on Monday, October 28, on a modified schedule. Visit ashevillecityschools.net and buncombeschools.org for more information.

Halloween goes on! On Halloween, I'll be handing out candy alongside my neighbors in Historic Enka Village in Candler. Bring your trick-or-treaters and stop by to say hi. I'll be on Enka Orchard Street, and I'd love to see you all!

For more Halloween cheer this weekend, Visit one of the events below. More events are in this Citizen-Times article.

  • Haunted Parking Lot on the Hill Trunk-Or-Treat - Saturday, 4-6 p.m. at Stephen's League Community Center on 30 George Washington Ave.

  • Boo Bash Block Party Sunday 2-4 p.m. at Tanger Outlets on 800 Brevard Road

Like many of you, I have been getting the daily calls from the City of Asheville talking about the boil water notice. The EPA requires daily messaging as long as the boil water notice remains in effect, so they don't have a choice. Go easy on them. Everyone who is on city water gets them, so think of it as one more thing we're all going through together. Here’s a link to a PDF with Boil Water Notice FAQs.

On Tuesday, Buncombe County reported that 90% of Spectrum customers have service back. However, about 10,000 customers remain without service, as repairs are taking longer than expected. Spectrum noted last week that customers will automatically be credited for time without service. Spectrum has not provided a timeline for complete restoration.

Water updates: The Town of Black Mountain water is now under a boil water notice. 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, and water may be consumed without boiling.

Water Resources staff continue working with the EPA and North Carolina DEQ to treat and monitor the water at the North Fork reservoir. Since Hurricane Helene, there have been no positive tests for E. Coli in the reservoir. Click here for a one-page doc on the North Fork Sampling Plan for Raw Water & Distribution System. Find the City of Asheville water updates here.

These emails are going to keep coming, but here are some great local media resources to follow, too:

Keep taking care of each other out there.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #11, Monday, October 21

Home. A familiar place where you have gathered a lifetime's worth of memories. Your hometown's main street with all your favorite shops and places you know and love. The embrace of your favorite person, where you feel safe. Home can be any and all of these things.

Home looks and feels very different these days. But we are all still finding our glimmers and sense of familiarity. My husband and I finally arrived back home in Candler after being gone for almost a month. To my surprise, all of my plants were alive and well! We met some of our new neighbors, who moved in a week before the storm, and said hello to some familiar faces. It's good to be home.

For some of the citizens of Marshall, NC, seeing the red brick of the old jail downtown for the first time in weeks felt like home. A glimmer of hope and normalcy, and a huge morale boost to the community of Marshall.

GreenWorks is getting back to some kind of normal, too. Our office is starting to feel familiar again. We have power and internet, and there is now a trickle of water coming in. Most of our staff are back to coming into the office regularly, and we will be open weekdays between 11 am and 4 pm. I will be back in the office tomorrow for the first time in what feels like forever, and I truly can’t wait to be back in a familiar space, surrounded by my work peeps!

We are also beginning to lend out cleanup supplies to aid some of our partner organizations, and soon, we will have DIY cleanup supplies available on a first-come-first-served basis at our office at 2 Sulphur Springs Rd, Asheville. Donate here to make sure we can continue to make DIY cleanup supplies available to all. Amazon wishlist coming soon! 

If you’re not already signed up to receive our volunteer opportunity emails, that is where we will communicate opportunities first as they become available. Many of you have reached out asking about kid-friendly volunteer options and we are working on it! We’ll send out the details as soon as we have them. Thank for your patience, y’all. We want to make sure to do this right. 

The Haywood Rd cleanup scheduled for November 2 will be shifted to another location in our community that needs some GreenWorks love. The date and time will remain the same. If you have already signed up for this cleanup, we will send new information as soon as a new location is identified. If you want to sign up for this cleanup, click here.

We are in need of sharps containers for future cleanups! In alignment with the National Harm Reduction Coalition, we use thick laundry detergent containers to safely capture and dispose of syringes, needles, and other small sharp objects. They must have thick plastic construction (so nothing can poke through them!), a screw-on lid, a small drain spout, and a handle. Please bring rinsed (if possible) containers that have all of the above features to our office at 2 Sulphur Springs Rd, Monday - Friday between 11 am and 4 pm. Thank you!

Some of our TreeKeepers are back at work in our Sand Hill Nursery, using the new watering system to keep our trees happy and healthy. Our nursery typically relies on the City water distribution system, so our team jumped into action to keep our trees alive when Hurricane Helene devastated that system more than three weeks ago. We started out filling watering cans from a large non-potable water container on the back of a truck and walking down the length of our hoop houses, hand-watering every tree.

The system has since evolved into a gravity-fed system with some very long hoses and a watering wand. Each tree is still being hand-watered but with a continuous flow of water. We still have to fill our giant non-potable water tank at a partner nursery (thank you, Snow Creek Nursery!) once a week and lift it onto one of our shipping containers to get it high enough for gravity to create enough pressure to water with the hose. But it’s working beautifully so far!

If you’d like to see the system in action and volunteer at the nursery, our weekly workdays have resumed every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon. Click here to sign up.

Above: GreenWorks' Community Forestry and Nursery Manager Sara Millar with board member and TreeKeeper extraordinaire, Philip Blocklyn in front of our hoop houses at the Sand Hill Nursery. Photo by Eric Bradford.

Our annual Native Tree Adoption event will be postponed until December. In the meantime, if you’re able to purchase a tree or trees in our Fall Tree Sale, they are available for pickup starting this Tuesday, October 22, between 10 am and noon. 

If you have already purchased trees in the sale, you can stop by to pick them up any Tuesday between 10 am and noon during our regular nursery workdays. This goes for all trees purchased in the sale, including pawpaws.

The weather is cooling down, and some of our trees have started to go into dormancy. This means they are starting to lose their leaves and slow their growth until spring. Planted trees will need about one toilet flush worth of non-potable water (about 1.5 gallons) per week until early December.

Also available in our online tree shop are Reforest Asheville Gift Cards that you can purchase in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100. Purchased gift cards can be delivered electronically to a loved one in the Asheville area to purchase trees in our shop or put towards a community fund that helps residents replace trees lost. Leave us a note at checkout to let us know if you'd like it to go to our community tree fund.

One of our readers shared with me that her glimmer the other day was a hot shower. She said it’s a game changer for the human psyche. I feel that, girl. If you need your own shower or clean clothes, below are community care stations offering access to potable and non-potable water, hot food, showers, bathrooms, laundry services, Wi-Fi, and counseling. Bring your own toiletries and detergent if you are able to. If not, the stations will supply them.

  • AC Reynolds High School, 1 Rocket Dr., Asheville

  • Buncombe County Sports Park, 58 Apac Cir, Asheville

  • Ingles, Black Mountain

  • Fairview Elementary School

  • Ingles, 2299 US-70, Swannanoa

  • Leicester Elementary School

  • Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center

  • At Home store at 980 Brevard Rd. (The old K-Mart location)

  • Pack Square Park

  • Innsbrook Mall (former Big Lots)

At the end of the day Friday, the food and water distribution sites at North Windy Ridge Intermediate School and Estes Elementary School were closed to support school reopening. There were no other changes to water and food sites or community care stations over the weekend.

Wine to Water began distributing non-potable and potable water at New Belgium this past week. They will continue to do so Tuesday through Saturday between 12:30 and 6:30 pm at 21 Craven St, Asheville.

Halloween glimmer: The WNC Nature Center will host Howl-O-Ween on October 26 at Four Seasons Plaza on Tunnel Rd and the Asheville Downtown Association is planning a Halloween Block Party on October 31. Bring your kids, bring your best friend, or bring your mom. These events are ways we can support each other and our kids, offering a chance to enjoy something fun and familiar after weeks of uncertainty.

Early voting going on now! Click below for FAQs about this year's election and where to vote.

County Center - FAQs About the 2024 Election, Including Hurricane-Related Information (buncombecounty.org)

Water updates: The Town of Black Mountain water is now under a boil water notice. 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, and water may be consumed without boiling.

Water backfilling and re-pressurization continues at water lines, and leaks and breaks continue to be found as this happens. Crews at the North Fork Reservoir began sediment treatment process last week and are waiting a few days to see how effective the first round of treatment is before beginning second treatment. Many elevated areas are still without water because more water pressure is needed to get water to these elevations, though service has been restored for more than 90% of residents.

As of Friday 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. Also on Tuesday, the Fairview Fire Department and the Garren Creek Fire Department will honor Battalion Chief Tony Garrison, who tragically perished in the line of duty on September 27, 2024.

Several Asheville Parks & Recreation parks have reopened. The list of reopened parks can be found at ashevillenc.gov/parks. Buncombe County Parks remain closed and all recreation events are cancelled indefinitely as all staff have been reassigned to help with disaster recovery and response.

Through Thursday, Oct. 24., Buncombe County residents can apply for help buying food through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Pre-register here or call 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. 

Almost 37,000 people have been approved for more than $43.5 million of disaster relief funds in Buncombe County. Register for disaster assistance at disassterassistance.gov, by calling FEMA at 1-800-621-3362, downloading the FEMA app, or visiting the Disaster Assistance Center at A.C. Reynolds High School.

FEMA is hiring a team in Western North Carolina, for jobs visit usajobs.com.

Jonathan Godt, Landslide Hazard Program Coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey said this is one of the worst landslide events in U.S. history in terms of impact to the community. 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. For more information, visit landslides.usgs.gov.

Disaster debris removal is underway at public roads and right of ways in Buncombe County. Estimates show that Hurricane Helene created 5 million cubic yards of debris in incorporated Buncombe County alone. Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell estimates there are over 3 million cubic yards of storm debris within Asheville City limits (that’s about 140 football fields, stacked 10 feet high). With this historic amount, it will be a long removal process.

Place your debris at the curb, separated by the following categories:

  • Construction and bulky items: building materials, drywall, lumber, carpet, furniture, plumbing

  • Appliances: refrigerators, washer/dryers, air conditioners, stove/range, water heaters, dishwashers

  • Electronics: TVs, computers, stereos, phones, DVD players

  • Vegetation: tree branches, logs, leaves, plants

  • Household hazardous waste: batteries, pesticides, paint, cleaning supplies, compressed gas tanks under 25 lbs

Remember to keep the roadway clear to ensure access for large trucks and emergency vehicles. Do not place or lean debris near or on trees, poles, or other structures. Please use PPE while preparing debris piles: long pants, safety glasses, gloves, and sturdy shoes.

FEMA preservation teams will be at A.C. Reynolds High School tomorrow from 9 am to 5 pm to demonstrate how to safely handle and salvage your damaged items. These specialists will show you how to salvage storm-damaged family photos, artwork, textiles, media and other family treasures.

If you are unable to attend an in-person demonstration, you can learn more about salvaging family treasures by visiting www.fema.gov/disaster/recover/save-family treasures or culturalrescue.si.edu/who-we-are/hentf.

Businesses impacted by Helene are invited to access free resources and recovery workspace at the Business Recovery Center at the Asheville Chamber, 36 Montford Ave. Open to ALL area businesses. WiFi and portable toilets available.

Those wishing to work from the Business Recovery Workspace will be asked to complete intake paperwork and to sign in and out each day as well as following "house rules" for maintaining a comfortable, clean and respectful environment for all users. Mountain Strong for Business Recovery - Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce (ashevillechamber.org)

Sign up to receive these updates via email and keep reading for past updates. Keep taking care of each other out there.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #10, Monday, October 14

I think the only reason I know what day of the week it is is because I have to type it into the header of this email. A little over two weeks ago, all of our lives changed overnight, and it feels like the days have blurred together.

Two weeks after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on September 28, 2022, my husband and I woke up at 5 am to drive an hour to catch a boat that would take us as close as possible to where our home used to be. We couldn't use the causeway bridge to get home; the water that raged the night of the storm had destroyed sections of it that would take months to rebuild. The sun rose at some point on the two-hour trip over the calm water and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day in October in Southwest Florida.  

We had been making the same trip daily for a week to go to our house and pick through the dust and the mud to find whatever we could salvage. Each item that we found was a treasure. A glimmer. That coffee mug that we got on our trip to Yellowstone, my grandmother's green glass tomato plate, an engraved pen that was a college graduation gift.

On the trip back, muddy, sweaty, and exhausted, the boat captain put on Miley Cyrus, and I found myself singing "Party in the USA" at the top of my lungs with a smile on my lips. Despite what we had lost, we had hope, and we had work to do. The thought of making the trek every day seemed overwhelming at times, but in that moment, I was happy to be able to do it.

The road to our community's recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. It will take some long days, a lot of hard work, maybe a little singing, definitely a few tears, and a whole lot of hope. At the end of the marathon, we will have built a stronger, more climate-resilient community. And GreenWorks will be right there with you, every step of the way.

We are actively working on what we are going to need to start doing cleanups safely and responsibly, and how we can make the most impact getting new trees in the ground in the community. We will let you know as soon as we know what those needs are. Sign up here to be notified when we have volunteer opportunities available and let us know how you'd like to help. We have received many requests for family-friendly volunteer opportunities, and we are working on it! Donate here, if you are able, to help us rebuild our urban forest in the right way and help us make our river and road cleanups accessible to all.

Our Hard 2 Recycle committee will be meeting to assess the feasibility of holding the November Hard 2 Recycle event, and we will keep y'all updated. On to all the other updates. 

Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder began yesterday's briefing with a moment of silence and said, “For me, a Sunday morning typically involves reflection and gratefulness for our many blessings. Our community has been through an incredibly devastating event and I would like to take a moment of silence on this Sunday morning to acknowledge the tremendous impact to our community, the loss of friends and family, and even the loss of a basic sense of security for so many.”

Neighborhoods and homes closest to the North Fork Reservoir are starting to see their water service return. As work continues and the pressure in the system builds, more and more folks will start to regain water service. This water is not safe for drinking from the tap and residents who receive water from the North Fork Reservoir remain under a boil water advisory until further notice.

Crews are watching for leaks as more areas receive water service. If you see a leak, report it to 828-251-1122.

The City released the below critical safety measures and encourages you to share it with everyone you know:

  • Sediment Alert: Newly available water may contain more sediment than usual. Turn off ice makers and cut off water to toilets when not in use.

  • Boil Water Notice: If you receive water from the City of Asheville, you MUST boil it vigorously for at least one minute before using it for cooking, brushing teeth, or drinking. It’s safe for showers, but avoid getting water in your mouth. Sponge baths are recommended for babies and small children.

  • Hot Water Heater Tips: If the water looks dirty, close the valve to your hot water heater or whole house filter to prevent sediment build-up. Remember to open the inlet valve once the water is clear.  It is also best to turn the power off to the hot water heater to ensure no damage occurs if you don't have water but have power. You can turn it back on once clean water is restored.

  • Other Household Considerations: If visible sediment appears, turn off ice makers and toilets, flush discolored water through a bathtub faucet.  Then return toilets and ice makers to service.
    Black Mountain Residents: If you're receiving water, DO NOT drink it or give it to pets—even if boiled. Only use it for flushing toilets.

WastePro has resumed recycling service as of today, Monday, Oct. 14. The City of Asheville is also resuming trash and recycling services today. In Leicester, WastePro will run regular routes for household trash and recycling.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 15, WastePro will have trucks located at ABTech Enka at 1459 Sand Hill Road in Candler from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm for residents to bring bagged household trash only.

The County Landfill at 85 Panther Branch Road in Alexander is open Monday through Friday, 6 am to 6 pm. The Hominy Creek Transfer Station is open for household bagged trash Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm. Water and food distribution sites are not accepting trash, do not bring any form of trash to those sites.

Today, Buncombe County advised residents to separate storm-related debris according to material type: appliances, construction debris, household hazardous waste like pesticides and automotive fluid, vegetative debris, and electronics. Stage your piles at the curb in the right of way for pick up. There will be multiple trucks and passes, so don't worry about getting everything out all at once. Piles should not block the road and be kept away from away from trees, fire hydrants, and trash carts.

As of this morning, Spectrum is reporting 37,500 customers experiencing outage and Buncombe County is working on getting a Spectrum rep to join a community briefing soon.

Reminder: curfew within the city limits of Asheville begins at 11 pm and ends at 6 am. The City of Asheville has started to release daily progress reports via email. Here is a link to yesterday's report for Sunday, October 13.

Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, honoring the past, present, and futures of Native people across the US. Gov. Roy Cooper proclaimed this day as an observed holiday in NC in 2018.

The Buncombe County Courthouse will be open from 8 am to 5 pm. starting today, Monday, Oct. 14. Jurors are excused through the end of October. If you are represented by an attorney, please contact them for information. Although the courts are open, Buncombe County is asking folks to avoid coming in person if possible and file electronically online at NCCourts.gov under eCourts. Filings have been extended to October 28.

The donation center at 6 Commerce Way, Arden is temporarily not accepting donations until Wednesday as the County focuses on distributing these donations. In the meantime, they ask to please donate to ABCCM, Bounty & Soul, or Beloved. The City of Asheville donation sites at Harrah’s Cherokee Center and in West Asheville at 298 Patton Avenue are not currently taking clothing donations. The City of Asheville recommends taking clothing donations to Goodwill sites which are providing vouchers for those in need of clothes. 

As of this morning's briefing, about 6,000 Buncombe Count residents remain without power. Duke representatives will provide more updates at the community briefing tomorrow, Tuesday, October 15.

The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center continues to be open daily at AC Reynolds High, 1 Rocket Drive in Asheville. You can apply for FEMA assistance in-person at this location, apply online at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. 

Shelters are available at the below locations.

Water, potable and non-potable, and food are available at the below locations. Please note the times of operation and availability of what you need before you visit the site.

Buncombe County issued an update on the status of their economic services at yesterday's briefing, covering the Medicaid, Food Assistance, Energy Program, and Work First programs. While the Buncombe County Economic Services Department remains under emergency closure, residents can apply for the benefits listed above at epass.nc.gov or by visiting the Buncombe County Public Assistance website. More information here (scroll down to Buncombe County Economic Services Update).

Anyone who has been to Asheville knows that its artists are an essential part of the community. Many artists are struggling to pay bills due to lost income. ArtsAVL is launching emergency grant relief starting today; applications and other recovery resources are available on their website at artsavl.org/aid.

Early Voting Sites Open Starting October 17:

It's not too late to register to vote! You can register at an early voting site with an official document showing your voting address. Click here to find out more.

Well water testing kits are available to homeowners at Buncombe County Environmental Health located at 30 Valley Street in downtown Asheville and will be available from Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. The kits include easy-to-follow instructions.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #9, Thursday, October 10

GreenWorks gained some sense of normalcy yesterday. We had a staff meeting! It was so good to see everyone. We talked about what the next couple of weeks and months might look like at GreenWorks. We know we're going to be planting a lot of trees and we're going to need a ton of trash bags!

Some things are still unclear, but we will continue to need your support. Sign up here to be notified when we have volunteer opportunities available. And donate here, if you are able.

I read somewhere recently that if you practice looking for all the little things that happen throughout your day that spark joy, or gratitude, or just a sense of wonder, and take a moment to recognize those moments, your brain will start seeking them out. They're called glimmers. I hope that you all are finding your glimmers each day. <3 On to the updates!

A new, simpler format for Buncombe County's website was announced yesterday. The new format will allow those with limited internet bandwidth to access important information on buncombecounty.org and buncombeready.org. Users can toggle between languages in the upper right-hand corner of both pages. You can still get to the full website through these pages.

Spread the word, y'all! Buncombe County has an early voting plan. Starting October 17, ten early voting locations will be open seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm. The deadline to register to vote is tomorrow, October 11. Go to buncombecounty.org/vote for more information. Call 828-250-4200 or email your questions to elections@buncombecounty.org.

Early Voting Sites Open Starting October 17:

Well water testing kits will be available to homeowners at Buncombe County Environmental Health located at 30 Valley Street in downtown Asheville starting today (Thursday, October 10) and will be available from Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. The kits include easy-to-follow instructions.

Today, Thursday, Oct. 10, WastePro will run normal routes for household trash to accessible locations in Arden and Fairview. Today ONLY, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, WastePro will have trucks located at the Ingles at 255 Charlotte Highway in Asheville and Glen Arden Elementary School, 50 Pinehurst Cir, Arden, to accept bagged household trash. No storm debris. 

The transfer station at 190 Hominy Creek Road in Asheville is open to accept residential bagged trash Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday from 8 am to 1 pm with no fees at this time. The Buncombe County landfill at 85 Panther Branch Rd in Alexander is open 6 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday and 8 am to 3 pm on Saturday.

*New City of Asheville curfew* The new curfew is 11 pm to 6 am and starts today, Thursday, October 10. The change is to allow better access to restaurants that are open at this time.

The City of Asheville is working to provide clarity around residents who have applied for FEMA aid and been denied. Pisgah Legal Services is hosting a FEMA Application Assistance Clinic tomorrow, Friday, October 11 from 10 am to 4 pm in the Rogow Room at the Transylvania County Library, 212 S Gaston St, Brevard, 28712. If you have applied for assistance and already been denied, call 828-210-3404.

A FEMA disaster recovery center has opened at A.C. Reynolds High School at 1 Rocket Drive in Asheville. This location is open daily from 7 am to 7 pm. You can register for assistance in person, talk to someone with the Small Business Administration, and access services from the state.

Mountain Mobility continues transportation for dialysis, chemotherapy, or other life-sustaining medical treatments. It is also resuming non-emergency medical trips transportation, ADA complementary paratransit services as able, and the Enka-Candler Trailblazer Service.

As we all work to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, our mental wellbeing can be just as important as our physical health. It is okay to feel overwhelmed, sad, angry, afraid, whatever it is you're feeling. It's okay. AVL Today put together some great local mental health resources in this article.

The USPS has temporarily suspended retail and delivery operations for some postal facilities throughout WNC until further notice. For offices that are experiencing a temporary closure, the Postal Service is making contingency plans to conduct retail and delivery operations from a nearby facility. USPS operations in Alexander at 2350 Old Marshall Hwy have moved to Weaverville at 270 N Main St. Customers can also call 1-800-ASK-USPS with questions about facilities and delivery.  

UPS is delivering to locations deemed safe; if roads are not clear, customers can pick up items at UPS at 301 Sweeten Creek Industrial Park Drive in Asheville.

Buncombe County officials reminded residents that parks and libraries remain closed as all staff have been redirected to work the emergency response. They acknowledged that as much as they want to have these open, they must remain focused on supporting the community through this crisis.

Buncombe County Schools has no exact reopening date as of today, but parents will receive a minimum 72-hour notice. 40 of 45 schools now have power.

The targeted school opening date for Asheville City Schools is Oct. 28. Their goal is to open as soon as safely possible so this date may change. ACS will provide a 72-hour notice to parents prior to re-opening.

A representative from a Virgina Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team gave a high-level overview of their emergency response. At the peak of operations, there were over 1,500 responders and 24 teams from local to federal levels. As of October 8, USAR teams conducted more than 13,000 structural damage observations. Out of these 10,089 were unaffected, 686 had minor damage, 636 were affected, 901 had major damage, and 560 were destroyed. There were 3,133 resident assists, 200 rescues, 183 resident evacuations, and 35 pet rescues.

There are still a lot of needs in our community. A few volunteer opportunities that we know about are listed below. Tons more volunteer opportunities here. And here.

  • For those of you that have reached out with kids that want to volunteer: Hearts with Hands in Swannanoa. Kid (7+) volunteers welcome! Sign up here.

  • The French Broad Riverkeeper team is holding a cleanup in the River Arts District tomorrow morning (Oct. 11) at 10:30 am. Meet in the OG Wedge parking lot and are requesting you bring trash bags if you have them and your own PPE (gloves, rubber boots, goggles/glasses, N95 or better face mask).

  • Manna FoodBank volunteer opportunities are now available at two locations. They are asking that volunteer create an account and sign up for shifts online before arriving to volunteer.

The temperatures are dropping quickly this weekend. If you have extra coats, blankets, gloves, hats, or other cold weather items that you are able to donate to Hurricane Helene survivors, please bring them to one of the below locations. Please note the donation site at 6 Commerce Way in Arden is NOT currently taking cold-weather related donations.

Water Restoration Progress Report

Northfork 36-inch Bypass Waterline:
Crews are making significant progress on the pipeline repairs, despite facing unexpected challenges like removing boulder-clogged sections. Repairs are being done in 20-foot segments with temporary dams redirecting water. The project is advancing quickly, thanks to on-site inspectors and engineers facilitating timely decisions. A major milestone is near, as the "elbow" section of the pipe is being installed, marking a key step toward reconnecting the treatment plant to the water distribution network.
Swannanoa River Road:
Floodwaters washed out parts of the road and waterlines. Local crews are working from the west, while N.C. DOT is coming from the opposite direction. Once the transmission lines are repaired, the next phase will be pressurizing the system to identify and fix breaks. Utility crews from other municipalities are assisting in this effort.
Northfork Reservoir and Treatment Plant:
The storm caused sediment from the reservoir’s bottom to rise, creating murky water. Engineers are developing treatment options to clear the water before it enters the filtration system, as processing it prematurely would damage the system. 

Update #8, Monday, October 7

Y'all about made me cry this afternoon. From the sweet notes saying how much you appreciated these updates to the well over 100 of you who let us know that you're here to help with offers to lend whatever you have toward our future cleanup efforts, the feeling of gratitude overwhelmed me. Even my mom in Florida donated to our mission. Thanks, Mom.

That feeling is how I know we can do this. We are GreenWorks strong. Keep sending those donations and keep signing up to help, we're going to need a lot of both in the coming months. And keep sending me your notes. I love reading them and sharing with the rest of our team. Okay, tissues in hand and on to the updates.

Buncombe County issued an update on voting today. They are working to address all voting needs, especially early voting and voting by mail (absentee voting). You can request an absentee ballot until October 29 on their online portal. Early voting begins October 17. The local elections board will be meeting tomorrow to begin processing absentee ballots and discuss modifications to their early voting plan. They will update their website at buncombecounty.org/vote once they have solid plans in place. For more information, call 828-250-4200 or email elections@buncombecounty.org.

Buncombe Countys community briefings will now be held once daily at 11 am on Buncombe County's Facebook page.

Non-potable water (grey water) for flushing toilets is now available at all County and City distribution sites: 

  • William W. Estes Elementary - 275 Overlook Road, Asheville   
    Sand Hill Elementary - 154 Sand Hill School Road, Asheville (Enter via Acton Circle)

  • North Windy Ridge Intermediate - 20 Doan Road, Weaverville

  • Fairview Elementary - 1355 Charlotte Hwy, Fairview   

  • Black Mountain Ingles - 550 NC-9, Black Mountain   

  • Cane Creek Middle - 570 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fletcher   

  • Leicester Elementary - 31 Gilbert Road, Leicester   

  • Pack Square Park - 70 Court Plaza, Asheville   

  • Asheville Middle - 211 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville   

  • Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center - 121 Shiloh Road, Asheville   

  • Lucy Herring Elementary - 98 Sulphur Springs Road, Asheville

  • Oakley Elementary - 753 Fairview Road, Asheville

The City of Asheville continues to make progress on its treatment plants and distribution systems. If you currently have water, please conserve it as much as possible.

EPA officials are on-site at the North Fork Reservoir to provide resources and assistance to treat the reservoir while work continues on the bypass line at the North Fork Water Treatment Plant. The Mills River Plant is fully operational. The City's contractors and partner organizations continue to make progress on critical repairs to primary transmission mains and materials are being sourced as damage is identified.

All of Asheville and surrounding communities remain under a boil-water advisory. Tap water must come to a rolling boil for at least one minute to be considered potable. Click here for How to Disinfect Water Wells Affected by Hurricane Helene.

Oxygen refilling stations are available at several places. See the list here in the County's latest Hurricane Helene update.

EBT cards may now be used to purchase hot meals. Chick-fil-A is distributing sandwiches and water at Swannanoa Ingles (2299 US-70) from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., today through Friday while supplies last.

If you live in the Enka-Candler area, Waste Pro will run routes beginning tomorrow! They will also have a drop-off location at Leicester Elementary (31 Gilbert Rd., Leicester) from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

Regular trash collection in the City of Asheville began today and is expected to continue with regular routes tomorrow, as well. Download the AVL Collects app to receive notifications about pickup in your area. Reminder: There will be no recycling pick up until the recycling plant is operational. Residents can use both recycling and trash bins for household waste. Storm debris should not be placed in bins and will be collected in the future.

As of Sunday afternoon, 73,000 customers remain without power in Buncombe County. The traffic volume in small communities heavily impacted from the storm (like Swannanoa and Garren Creek) is affecting crews' ability to respond to those areas. Both Duke Energy and Buncombe County emergency services personnel are asking that unless you live in these small communities, please stay away.

Both the City of Asheville and Buncombe County are waiving fees related to emergency repairs. Visit buncombecounty.org/permits or develop.ashevillenc.gov to learn more. The Buncombe County Permits office at 30 Valley St. is open. 

Limited Asheville Rides Transit (ART) bus service began today. Outbound trips will end at 5 p.m. Riders can find information about transit services through alerts or by calling 828-253-5691.

Local search and rescue and security efforts are being assisted by over 45 independent police agencies, the FBI, and Homeland Security. As of yesterday, 14 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams are on the ground in Buncombe County. Search teams have located 336 persons alive and well and are currently working 60 missing persons cases. Drone teams continue to work alongside search and rescue teams in and around Swannanoa and the French Broad River. A curfew remains in effect within the City of Asheville between 7:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. 

Please continue to be aware of scams and misinformation circulating in our community. Buncombe County officials have received reports of landowners and survivors receiving texts offering to buy land quickly for cash. If you receive texts like this, immediately report, block, and/or delete the number. There is also misinformation spreading regarding FEMA seizing supplies or turning away donations. These are all false claims. Be wary and always consult with verified sources. FEMA is here to help and personnel out in the community will be wearing name badges and/or ID cards.

*One Buncombe Call Center Available 24/7*

If you are a Buncombe County resident, call 828-250-6100 to report storm damage, access resources, and find storm-related information. City and county officials continue to encourage the community to "See something, say something." Call 911 to report suspicious behavior, if you believe someone is in danger, or if you have an emergency.

Visit report.buncombecounty.org to upload geotagged photos of storm-related emergency issues.

Buncombe County Hurricane Helene Update

City of Asheville Hurricane Helene information and updates - The City of Asheville (ashevillenc.gov)

Take care of each other out there.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #7: Saturday, October 5

It's officially been a week since Hurricane Helene made herself known in Western North Carolina and the greater US Southeast. The full scope of damage and lives lost is still coming into focus, and our hearts remain heavy for our community and all those affected.

We are continuing to prioritize the safety and well-being of our small but mighty GreenWorks team. We appreciate all of you who have reached out so far and told us you are willing to help us clean up and rebuild our community when the time comes. If you'd like to make a donation to help us in this effort, click here.

If you'd like to sign up to receive updates on volunteer opportunities as they become available, click here to fill out this short form. Please note that we are not conducting any clean-ups at this time as it is still unsafe.

In other updates, our operations team, with the invaluable support of our board member and TreeKeeper, Philip Blocklyn, is close to working out the final details of the water situation at our Sand Hill nursery so that we can continue to care for our potted seedlings there.

If you have purchased a tree in our Fall Tree Sale, we will let you know when it is safe and responsible to pick up your tree(s). If you want to purchase a tree to support our Urban Forestry program, you may still do so on our website at ashevillegreenworks.org/shop.

We have located our Trash Trout™, which was recently replaced at Nasty Branch (Town Branch) near the River Arts District. It survived the French Broad floodwaters and is currently sitting on top of the waste paper building. We will have a heck of a time getting it back into Nasty Branch, but hoorah for small wins!

On a personal note, having survived Hurricane Ian in 2022 (but lost our home and everything in it), I promise it will get better. Seeing (and feeling) the outpouring of love and support from friends and neighbors kept me going then and spurs me on now. Celebrate the small things and hug each other through the worst things.

My husband and I are so lucky to have our house intact this time, but I know there are so many who have lost everything. If I learned anything from Hurricane Ian, humankind is resilient and hopeful, even in the face of overwhelming odds. We will rebuild our homes, our businesses, and our community and we will be stronger than ever. Hugs to you all. <3

*New One Buncombe Call Center Available 24/7*

If you are a Buncombe County resident, call 828-250-6100 to report storm damage, access resources, and find storm-related information.

New online tool to upload geotagged photos of storm-related emergency issues such as blocked roads, landslides, and urgent needs for evacuation, supplies, or medicine. Take a photo of the affected area and submit to report.buncombecounty.org. Note: Do not use the 'Take Photo or Video' option as it will not transmit location info.

Residents who do not receive public yard-waste pickup are allowed to burn leaves, brush, and yard trimmings on burning days between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Please wait at least three days to allow things to dry out before burning to reduce emissions and only burn in three-foot piles at least 15 feet away from structures. To find out if it is a burn day, check abairquality.org or call 828-250-6767.

The following item are prohibited from burn piles: household trash, building materials, asphaltic materials, cardboard, processed wood, and paper. Burning is not allowed in the City of Asheville, and the Towns of Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Montreat, Weaverville or Woodfin. 

The food and water sites distribution sites below are open daily until 7 p.m. or until supplies run out. Please bring containers to refill water.

  • William W. Estes Elementary School - 275 Overlook Road, Asheville

  • Sand Hill Elementary - 154 Sand Hill School Road, Asheville (Please enter via Acton Circle)

  • North Windy Ridge Intermediate School - 20 Doan Road, Weaverville

  • Fairview Elementary School - 1355 Charlotte Highway, Fairview

  • Black Mountain Ingles – 550 NC-9, Black Mountain

  • Cane Middle Creek Middle – 570 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fletcher

  • Leicester Elementary School – 31 Gilbert Road, Leicester

City of Asheville food and water distribution sites follow.

  • Asheville Middle School: 211 S. French Broad Avenue, Asheville – Until 7 p.m.

  • Lindwood Crump Shiloh Community Center: 121 Shiloh Road, Asheville – Until 7 p.m.

  • Pack Square Park: 70 Court Plaza beginning at 1 p.m. until dark.

  • Lucy Herring Elementary School, 98 Sulphur Springs Road. Open 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. 

The Environmental Protection Agency is aware of potential issues in the region’s water, soil, and wells and is working to evaluate health concerns. If you have a well and aren’t sure if your water is safe to drink, boil it for at least one minute or use it only for flushing toilets. Click the link below for information about disinfecting a well that was underwater during Hurricane Helene.

How to Disinfect Water Wells Affected by Hurricane Helene

All of Asheville and surrounding communities remain under a boil-water advisory. Tap water must come to a rolling boil for at least one minute to be considered potable.

Click here to watch a 22-minute video about Hurricane Helene's impact on the Asheville water system and the amazing progress that crews have made in a matter of days. We are still a long way off from where we need to be but our city and county are working hard and fast to get water back to our towns.

More than 700 FEMA personnel are on the ground in North Carolina, and 1,300 urban search and rescue personnel. In Buncombe County, FEMA has approved 14,000 applications, and more than $12 million has been dispersed to disaster survivors. To register for Disaster Assistance, call 1-800-621-FEMA or visit disasterassistance.gov. FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are out in the community today at several locations

Town of Black Mountain Press Release - October 5, 2024

To date, the Asheville Police Department (APD) has accepted more than 300 missing persons reported and has located 270 of those who are alive and in contact with family and friends. There are currently 75 missing persons cases in the City of Asheville. APD is receiving assistance from the FBI and U.S. Homeland Security as well as help from 45 agencies from the state and Southeast region.

The City of Asheville says trash pickup will resume in targeted areas on Monday. Routes are based on road accessibility. Download the AVL Collects app if you are able to receive notifications about trash pickup. Recycling will be collected as trash at this time. Please no mud or destruction debris in any trash or recycling cans.

I hope that you all stay safe and well this weekend. Take care of each other and I will be back on Monday with another update.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #6: Friday, October 4

Hello all. I hope this message finds you doing as well as you can be. As I've said before, we will have a lot of work to do when it is safe and responsible to do so. The City of Asheville and Buncombe County as well as much of Western North Carolina are still undergoing search and rescue efforts and many of our roads and waterways are dangerous to be near or on right now.

Our staff is scattered across multiple states with some of them remaining in the Asheville area, but all are safe with friends and family. We hope you are also safe. Our hearts are breaking for everyone experiencing loss and/or displacement. We are working to regroup and create a plan of action to support our community. If you'd like to make a donation to help us in this effort, click here.

Until we are all back in one place and it is safe for all of us to resume operations, we have created a web form where you can let us know that you're able to help in whatever capacity that looks like for you. Go to ashevillegreenworks.org/helenevolunteer to fill out the short form. Thank you all so much for your willingness to help.

We believe the irrigation system at our Sand Hill nursery is operational, but we don't have a way to fill our several hundred-gallon water tank to water our potted trees. We are working on several possible solutions, but lease let us know in the form above if you have any equipment or supplies (or ideas!) that could help us out.

We have been able to put eyes on our in-ground nursery and there is likely damage to trees there, but it is difficult to determine the full extent of the damage until we are able to go into the nursery. It is not safe to do so at this time. Our office remains intact with no immediately visible damage.

*New One Buncombe Call Center Established*

If you are a Buncombe County resident, you can call 828-250-6100 to report storm damage, access resources, and find storm-related information.

Sherriff Quentin Miller confirmed yesterday that Buncombe County has lost 72 lives due to Hurricane Helene. 

Waste Pro is resuming limited service in Weaverville on Friday where safe and accessible. Residents can also drop off household trash (no storm debris) at North Buncombe Pool, 734 Clarks Chapel Road, Weaverville, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Buncombe County Landfill at 85 Panther Branch Rd, Alexander will be open to receive trash Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

Below are messages from the City of Asheville as of Thursday, October 3, regarding trash services.

  • Curbside collection of household waste (only bagged trash) will resume in targeted areas on Monday, October 7. Routes are being determined based on road accessibility and will be shared when available.

  • Download the AVL Collects app to receive notifications about trash and recycling pickup in your area. You can find the AVL Collects app in Google Play Store of Apple App Store.

  • There will be no recycling pick up until the recycling plant is operational. Residents should use both recycling and trash carts for household waste. All waste will be collected as trash at this time by both City of Asheville and Curbie vehicles.

  • The following materials cannot be collected at this time: mud, construction debris, concrete, and other bulky or hazardous items. Debris collection is estimated to start in mid-October.

Buncombe County has set up a new location to receive hurricane relief supply donations at 6 Commerce Way in Arden. They will receive donations in any size vehicle from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. daily. Donations are strictly limited to the below categories.

  • Non-perishable, ready-to-eat food

  • Bottled water

  • Clean-up supplies

  • Paper goods like toilet paper

  • Baby supplies including formula

  • Pet supplies

  • Personal Care  

Please do not bring baby food, glass items, furniture, clothing, perishable food, electronics, and flammable liquids. Also please note you will not receive supplies at this location. All donations will go to community partners to distribute.

The City of Asheville has partnered with United Way to open a new donation drop-off site at Harrah’s Cherokee Center (87 Haywood St.). You can bring small donations of water, nonperishable food, eating utensils, infant care items, pet food, and cleaning supplies daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Updates from the town of Woodfin

  • Food and Water Distribution will take place at the New Bridge Baptist Church at 199 Elkwood Avenue from 2-4 p.m. Donations will be accepted from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • A portion of donations to the church is being shuttled to Victory Baptist Church at 80 Olivette Rd, Asheville from 3-5 p.m.

  • Anyone with special needs or with a welfare check request should visit Woodfin Town Hall at 90 Elk Mountain Road or call 828-253-4887 when cellular service is restored to the line.

  • Trash and recycling collection will start today.

  • There is not current definitive timeline for when water can be restored at Woodfin.

  • The town is hosting a briefing everyday at 1 p.m. at the Town Hall.  

Updates from the town of Biltmore Forest

  • Hurricane Helene brought down a large number of trees at Biltmore Forest, which is a primary residential area. This was the main source of destruction for this community.

  • All roads are currently accessible for emergency crews.

  • The water system will require repairs once water systems are restored.  

The North Asheville Library now has Wi-Fi access in their parking lot. The password is: readmore.

MedVet Asheville, an emergency and specialty veterinary hospital, will be opening starting tomorrow Friday, Oct. 4 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and will be open those hours every day. They are located at 677 Brevard Road, Asheville, NC 28806.

The Buncombe County Permits Office is now open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and accepting electronic applications at buncombecounty.org/permits. Officials urge residents to check regulations before applying as special flood hazard area requirements may apply. 

Power was restored to the City of Asheville’s water maintenance building which will aid in repairs to the damaged system. There is still no timeline as to when water service will be restored as crews are still working to access parts of the water distribution system.

The state of North Carolina and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are trucking food and water into Western North Carolina daily.

Walmart will be donating 33 truckloads of food and water to nonprofits across Hendersonville, Arden, Asheville and Weaverville. They are also hosting hot meals at their store in Hendersonville, NC (Store 1242) at 250 Highlands Square Dr., Hendersonville, NC 28792. Their store in Arden, NC (Store 1179) at 60 Airport Rd., Arden, NC 28704 will host an associate fuel truck, laundry, feeding station, bathrooms and charging station.

The Home Depot has partnered with Operation Blessing to deliver truckloads of relief supplies including meals, hygiene kits, water and more to Asheville, NC Store 3625 located at 795 Fairview Rd., Asheville, NC 28803.

The City of Asheville and Buncombe County are continuing to do welfare checks and they each have a link to request a welfare check on friends and family.

City of Asheville Helene Missing Persons Form (google.com)

Buncombe Search Sept. 2024 / Buncombe Busqúeda septiembre de 2024 (google.com)

All of Asheville and surrounding communities are under a boil-water advisory for non-bottled water. Water must come to a rolling boil for at least one minute to be considered potable.

More to come soon. Stay safe, everyone.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #5: Thursday, October 3

Good morning all. This update will be a bit shorter to get the below information out as quickly as possible.

In yesterday afternoon's briefing, we learned that the county's solid waste partner, Waste Pro will be picking up trash from homes on its regular Thursday route wherever the roads are accessible to their large trucks. This pickup is for bagged household trash only. Please no storm debris. That will be picked up by at a later time. They are still assessing the feasibility of Friday's route; this information is for the Thursday route only.

At this time, there is no estimate on when trash services will be restored for the City of Asheville, but customers can use one of the three drop off locations below to bring their bagged household trash.

Household waste may also be brought to the Buncombe County landfill or three local Ingles locations, where Waste Pro will have trucks stationed:
1865 Hendersonville Rd. in Asheville
225 Charlotte Hwy. in Asheville
2901 Hendersonville Rd. in Fletcher

The City of Asheville and Buncombe County are continuing to do welfare checks and they each have a link to request a welfare check on friends and family.

City of Asheville Helene Missing Persons Form (google.com)

Buncombe Search Sept. 2024 / Buncombe Busqúeda septiembre de 2024 (google.com)

We received an update on water services with more information to come at today's 4 pm briefing. There is currently no timeline for restoring running water in Asheville and Buncombe County. According to Assistant City Manager Ben Woody, “Distribution systems have suffered catastrophic damage.”

Crews from Greensboro, Raleigh, Charlotte, and Cape Fear are actively helping to make local repairs, but access to some areas is still not possible, and the full extent of damage is unknown.

  • Asheville Water Treatment Facility, Mills River — limited operations, serving primarily residents in South Asheville (non-potable, boil alert in effect)

  • Northfork Water Treatment Facility, Black Mountain — inoperable, repairs are underway

  • William DeBruhl Water Treatment Facility, Swannanoa — inaccessible and inoperable

All of Asheville and surrounding communities are under a boil-water advisory for non-bottled water. Water must come to a rolling boil for at least one minute to be considered potable.

Police Chief Mike Lamb and Sherrif Quentin Miller reminded folks that if you come to an intersection with no working traffic lights, it becomes a four-way stop. Be patient and watch out for each other.

They also warned that officers are still securing areas that are unsafe, especially along the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers. Do not cross security lines or barricades, which could be indicating dangerous situations like sink holes.

Two new locations for food and water distribution locations have been announced by the County. Please bring your own water containers to:

  • Cane Creek Middle School, 570 Lower Brush Creek Rd, Fletcher

  • Leicester Elementary School, 31 Gilbert Rd, Leicester

There have been reports of scammers going door-to-door to ask for donations or offer to do repairs and requiring payment up front. Reputable companies do not require payment up front. Please do your own research to verify the legitimacy of a company before you hire them and report potential scammers to law enforcement.

Big Ivy Community Center at 540 Dillingham Rd in Barnardsville has supplies available for people and some animal supplies are also available like hay and feed for livestock. Let the center know if any supplies need to be delivered to you. You can also drop off or pick up donations at Barnardsville Elementary School at 20 State Rd 2170 in Barnardsville.

The Enka-Candler Library now has Wi-Fi access in their parking lot. The password is: readmore.

A public AT&T mobile connectivity station has been set up at the Sam's Club at 645 Patton Ave in Asheville. You will be able to access chargers, use Wi-Fi on computers, and make calls at this station.

Update #4: Tuesday, October 2

Hi everyone. I hope that you are staying safe and well. We are doing the best we can to get our local readers as much accurate information as we can, but we encourage you to listen to the daily Buncombe County updates at 10 am and 4 pm on their Facebook page or on the radio at Blue Ridge Public Radio 88.1 FM, as well as iHeart radio stations including 99.9, 104.3, 105.1 and 570 AM. It is also being broadcast in Spanish on 97.3 FM.

I have two corrections from yesterday's email. Yesterday's update was Update #3 and the subject line incorrectly said Update #2. I also listed the citywide curfew incorrectly. Curfew is 7 pm to 7 am (essentially when it is dark outside). Thank you for your patience and understanding <3

Many of you have reached out asking how you can help and we are so grateful to have your support. We aren't ready to resume our work just yet but there will be a lot for us to do when it is safe. We are working on a way to start gathering contact information from folks who want to volunteer when that time comes. Keep an eye on our emails, social media, and website and we will post that information as soon as we have it. If you are able to support our work financially, donate here. Read on for today's updates.

Be patient, be safe, and be kind to each other. We will weather this storm together and build a more climate-resilient community for future generations.

Water and food sites are open noon to 4 pm today and will continue each day. They are working on expanding these efforts and opening more sites as they are able. Please bring your own containers for water as the only water at these locations is potable water from tankers. Locations can be found here and listed below:

  • William W. Estes Elementary School - 275 Overlook Road, Asheville

  • Sand Hill Elementary - 154 Sand Hill School Road, Asheville (Please enter via Acton Circle)

  • North Windy Ridge Intermediate School - 20 Doan Road, Weaverville

  • Fairview Elementary School - 1355 Charlotte Highway, Fairview

  • Ingles Black Mountain - 550 NC-9, Black Mountain, NC 28711 (this site is operated by the Town of Black Mountain with support from County warehouse distribution)

The City of Asheville is distributing water at these locations:

  • Pack Square Park (80 Court Plaza, Asheville) – Bring containers

  • Asheville Middle School (211 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville) - Cases of bottled water will be available via drive-through

Other local sites for food and water include:

  • MANNA FoodBank distribution site open today, Oct. 2, from noon to 4 p.m. at the farmers market at 570 Brevard Road in Asheville (Parking lot to the left, just past Jesse Israel Nursery).

  • BeLoved Asheville is providing water, food, diapers, and baby formula at 32 Old Charlotte Hwy. Spanish-speaking volunteers are available.

  • Carolina Day School is distributing water at 1345 Hendersonville Road from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A boil water advisory remains in effect for those who still have water. Click here for Hurricane Helene Health Updates: Medicine, Food and Water Safety.

Cell service is continuing to improve and more Wi-Fi hot spots are being added. Here are a few we know about:

  • Verizon cellular satellite trailer | Family Justice Center, 35 Woodfin St.

  • T-Mobile cellular satellite trucks + access to power | Asheville Middle School, 211 S. French Broad Ave.; Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St.

  • 90 Southside Ave in the South Slope area of Asheville has public Wi-Fi in the parking lot

  • West Asheville and Pack Libraries have Wi-Fi available outside, password is: readmore

Today is day six and search and rescue efforts in Buncombe County are still underway. There have been 57 deaths confirmed in Buncombe County.

Curbie's facility and fleet of trucks are largely intact, and recycling service has resumed for the town of Fletcher. The Curbie recycling facility is still without power, and they are working hard to resume service wherever they are able.

There is no timeline on resuming garbage collection yet but the County is coordinating with their provider, Waste Pro, today to resume service as soon as possible.

Asheville and Buncombe County Schools are closed until further notice. Asheville City School staff and Buncombe County school and government staff: please check in with your supervisor if you have not already done so.

The following Mercy Urgent Care locations are open for walk-ins with no appointment needed to treat non-life-threatening illness or injuries. Call 911 for emergency care or go to the emergency room. 

  • Mercy Urgent Care West Asheville, 1201 Patton Ave, open 8:30 am to 6:00 pm

  • Mercy Urgent Care Weaverville, 61 Weaver Blvd, 

    open 8:30 am to 6:00 pm

  • Mercy Urgent Care Brevard, 22 Trust Ln

  • Mercy Urgent Care Waynesville, 120 Fraser St

For pharmacy information, emergency refill rules, and general health recommendations in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, click here.

The North Carolina Board of Pharmacy is maintaining a list of pharmacies in WNC that are open. Click here to find the list. It is being updated by the Board of Pharmacy every 30 minutes. 

Go to Drivenc.gov for real-time road condition updates. Western North Carolina is still on a DO NOT TRAVEL advisory from the NCDOT. Unless it is absolutely necessary, please stay off the roads and stay home. Individuals evacuating the Asheville area are able to use I-40 East or I-26 East.

For those unable to evacuate and need a place to go, Buncombe County shelters are listed below. All shelters can provide basic needs and are open to individuals and families who need a safe place to stay during this emergency.

  • A general shelter is now open at the former Gold's Gym at 1815 Hendersonville Road in Asheville. This location has a playroom for children, so it may be more suitable for families. Please note that no pets are allowed at this location.

  • AB Tech Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Dr., Asheville, NC 28801 (Please use Victoria Road Entrance.)

  • Medical Emergency Shelter (for individuals who are dependent on medical equipment requiring power) located at 10 Genevieve Cir, Asheville, NC 28801.

  • WNC Agriculture Center- Fanning Bridge Road. This location is full.

Buncombe County Register of Deeds office is assisting in performing well checks on folks as requested. Use this web form to request a well check, click here to access the form. Or call 828-820-2671 and follow the prompts. If you have submitted a well check to Buncombe County and have since spoken to your missing person, please email register@buncombecounty.org to let them know.

If your home has damages and you need assistance with cleanup, please call Crisis Cleanup for access to volunteer organizations that can assist you at 844-965-1386.

The USPS has suspended service for areas with ZIP codes beginning in 287, 288, and 289. Deliveries are being attempted in some 287 areas where it is safe and possible to do so.

Thousands of linemen are working day and night to clear debris, reopen roadways and repair major portions of the power grid. As of today, over 80% of the 360 substations that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene have been restored and significant work on substations will continue today. Most customers in Western North Carolina can expect the power to be back on by Friday, October 4.

The North Carolina National Guard has deployed almost 800 soldiers and airmen to provide support to WNC along with more than 275 vehicles, including 88 High-Water Vehicles and 19 helicopters.

Commercial service at the Asheville Regional Airport has resumed. If your car was at the Airport lot, none of the airport lots flooded, and cars are all ok. Stay safe and pick up your car when you are able.

North Carolina has officially received a Major Disaster Declaration meaning individuals in many counties (including Buncombe) eligible for Individual Assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Individuals can begin applying online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 1-800-462-7285 between 7 am and 10 pm EST).

As a reminder, all GreenWorks events this week through October 5 are cancelled. Our Sand Hill nursery and office at 2 Sulphur Springs Rd are ok. We have not been able to assess damages at our Hardesty Ln nursery yet. We know that we will need a way to water our seedlings at the Sand Hill Nursery very soon and we are working on a way to do that. We will update you with our exact needs when we know more.

Help each other and be safe. We love you all. If you want to receive these updates via email, sign up for our newsletter here.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #3: Tuesday, October 1

We are sending out regular email updates and we realize that some of our readers may not be able to open or receive our emails because they contains links. Our goal is to try and get helpful information out to whoever is able to access it. If one of our emails finds you, we hope you are safe. Hang in there. We are thinking of you.

I-40 East is open. Go to Drivenc.gov for real-time road condition updates. Western North Carolina is still on a DO NOT TRAVEL advisory from the NCDOT. Unless it is absolutely necessary, please stay off the roads and stay home.

Buncombe County is still in active search and rescue mode today and have confirmed 40 storm-related deaths in Buncombe County. If you need emergency services, call 911. The non-emergency phone number is 828-250-6650 but please be advised that this phone line is experiencing heavy use. Buncombe County is working on getting more staff in to help man phone lines and relieve staff members that have been working nonstop since Wednesday.

Curfew remains in effect for the City of Asheville from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. There will be no trash or recycling collections, or bus services until further notice. Damage to water system infrastructure has been catastrophic and crews are working 24/7 to bring water service back to residents. A boil water advisory remains in effect for those who still have water. 

Food and water distribution sites are open again today. They are distributing water and food as it is available at these sites. Please bring your own containers for water as the only water at these locations is potable water from tankers. Locations can be found here and listed below:

  • William W. Estes Elementary School - 275 Overlook Road, Asheville

  • Sand Hill Elementary - 154 Sand Hill School Road, Asheville (Please enter via Acton Circle)

  • North Windy Ridge Intermediate School - 20 Doan Road, Weaverville

  • Fairview Elementary School - 1355 Charlotte Highway, Fairview 

They are still working on a way to deliver these resources to those who cannot get to the distribution sites.

Drinking water will be distributed from Pack Square Park (70 Court Plaza) beginning at 9 a.m. today until dark or when the supply runs out. Each person will be provided 2 gallons of water per person, with a maximum of 5 gallons per family. You must bring your own container. More portable bathrooms are being set up downtown.

The city has also added a second location at Asheville Middle School, 211 S. French Broad Ave. The site will be open until dark or when the supply runs out. Cases of bottled water will be available for pickup.  This location is designed for drive-thru pickup in the first bus loop. One case per family is allowed per day.

Cell service is continuing to improve and more Wi-Fi hot spots are being added. Here are a few we know about:

  • Verizon cellular satellite trailer | Family Justice Center, 35 Woodfin St.

  • T-Mobile cellular satellite trucks | Asheville Middle School, 211 S. French Broad Ave.; Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St.

  • Free public Wi-Fi in the parking lot at 90 Southside Ave in the South Slope area of Asheville.

Buncombe County Register of Deeds office is assisting in performing well checks on folks as requested. Use this web form to request a well check, click here to access the form. Or call 828-820-2671 and follow the prompts. If you have submitted a well check to Buncombe County and have since spoken to your missing person, please email register@buncombecounty.org to let them know.

A timeline for restoration of service for the majority of Duke Energy customers has been established for Friday, October 4. Customers that are in inaccessible areas or are dependent on infrastructure that has been destroyed may see additional delays.

Crews have been mobilized across the state and country to secure more resources to restock stores and provide drinking water and food.

As of yesterday, commercial service at the Asheville Regional Airport resumed limited service. If your car was at the Airport lot, great news-none of the airport lots flooded, and cars are all ok.

Additional National Guard personnel, vehicles, and air assets continue to arrive.

North Carolina has officially received a Major Disaster Declaration meaning individuals in many counties (including Buncombe) eligible for Individual Assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Individuals can begin applying online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 1-800-462-7285 between 7 am and 10 pm EST).

As a reminder, all GreenWorks events this week through October 5 are cancelled, including volunteer workdays at the Sand Hill nursery and any scheduled and DIY clean-ups. If you have purchased a tree in our tree sale, we will send an update when it is safe to pick up after we have been able to reach and fully assess our nurseries. We will be happy to process refunds if needed, but we ask that you allow us to first assess the full situation at our nursery. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

We know you want to help, and Asheville GreenWorks will be ready to help our community clean up and rebuild when it is safe and responsible to do so. If you would like to donate to Asheville GreenWorks to help with future cleanup efforts, donate here. Thank you for your support.

Help each other and be safe. We love you all. Sign up for our emails here.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #2: Monday, September 30

We received word that our Sand Hill nursery is intact. Thank you all so much for the outpouring of love and support. We are taking things one day at a time and we will keep you updated as we learn more.

As a reminder, all GreenWorks events this week through October 5 are cancelled, including volunteer workdays at the Sand Hill nursery and any scheduled and DIY clean-ups. If you have purchased a tree in our tree sale, we will send an update when it is safe to pick up after we have been able to reach and fully assess our nurseries. We will be happy to process refunds if needed, but we ask that you allow us to first assess the full situation at our nursery. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

We know you want to help, and Asheville GreenWorks will be ready to help our community clean up and rebuild when it is safe and responsible to do so. If you would like to donate to Asheville GreenWorks to help with future cleanup efforts, donate here. Thank you for your support. Keep reading for updates from the 10 a.m. Buncombe County briefing and links to local resources.

Food and water distribution sites are open again today. They are distributing water and food as it is available at these sites. Please bring your own containers for water. This is intended to be a drive through event but walk ups will be accommodated. Locations can be found here and listed below:

  • William W. Estes Elementary School - 275 Overlook Road, Asheville

  • Sand Hill Elementary - 154 Sand Hill School Road, Asheville (Please enter via Acton Circle)

  • North Windy Ridge Intermediate School - 20 Doan Road, Weaverville

  • Fairview Elementary School - 1355 Charlotte Highway, Fairview 

They are still working on a way to deliver these resources to those who cannot get to the distribution sites. There is additional assistance available from the City of Asheville at Pack Square Park. Drinking water will be distributed beginning at 1 p.m. until dark or when the supply runs out. Each person will be provided 1 gallon of water each, with a maximum of 5 gallons per family. Each person who accesses the water distribution at Pack Square must bring their own container. For the safety of everyone involved, traffic will be directed around the park and the distribution site will be walk-up only.

Buncombe County Register of Deeds office is assisting in performing well checks on folks as requested. At this time, they are prioritizing 150 households with elderly residents and those who need immediate medical attention. Their web form is available to request a well check, click here to access the form. You can also call 828-820-2671 and follow the prompts. If you have submitted a well check to Buncombe County and have since spoken to your missing person, please email register@buncombecounty.org to let them know.

Western North Carolina is still on a DO NOT TRAVEL advisory from the NCDOT. Unless it is absolutely necessary, please stay off the roads and stay home.

A timeline for restoration of service for the majority of Duke Energy customers has been established for Friday, October 4. Customers that are in inaccessible areas or are independent on infrastructure that has been destroyed may see additional delays. Please be patient and kind and help your neighbors if you are able.

Crews have been mobilized across the state and country to secure more resources to restock stores and provide drinking water and food.

As of today, commercial service at the Asheville Regional Airport is resuming limited service. If your car was at the Airport lot, great news-none of the airport lots flooded, and cars are all ok.

Cell service is continuing to improve.

Additional National Guard personnel, vehicles, and air assets are arriving today.

North Carolina has officially received a Major Disaster Declaration meaning individuals in many counties (including Buncombe) eligible for Individual Assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Individuals can begin applying online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 1-800-462-7285 between 7 am and 10 pm EST).

Help each other and be safe. We love you all. If you would like to receive this information in our emails, sign up here.

Cheers,
Carrie

Update #1: Sunday, September 29

Our hearts are heavy seeing the devastation Hurricane Helene has left in its wake, but we are inspired by how our community has come together to help each other.

Our vision of a climate-resilient community remains unchanged, and we will stand beside each of you and work together to rebuild. We know there is a long road to recovery ahead of us, but GreenWorks is ready to lead efforts to clean up our rivers when it is safe and responsible to do so.

All members of the GreenWorks staff have been accounted for and are safe. We are incredibly grateful and relieved to have heard from everyone and are happy they are safe.

All events this week through October 5 are cancelled, including volunteer workdays at the Sand Hill nursery and any scheduled and DIY clean-ups. We have been unable to assess the situation at either of our nurseries or our office, and all locations are closed until further notice. We will send another update when we know more. *Someone let us know our office on Sulphur Springs looks okay from the outside!

If you have purchased a tree in our tree sale, we will send an update when it is safe to pick up after we have been able to reach and assess our nurseries. We will be happy to process refunds if needed, but we ask that you allow us to first assess the situation at our nursery. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

In the meantime, we have compiled the below list of links and resources for Asheville and Buncombe County. Please reply to this email if there is something we should include in our next update.

Help each other and be safe. We love you all.

Tropical Storm Helene Recovery Resources - The City of Asheville (ashevillenc.gov)

County Center - Buncombe County Hurricane Helene Updates - Actualizaciones Sobre el Huracán Helene en el Condado de Buncombe

Emergency Preparedness - Buncombe County Emergency Services | Asheville (Helpful phone numbers and link, live stream of downtown Asheville from the courthouse)

If you have access to a radio, tune into 88.1 or 107.9 FM for updates.

Follow Buncombe County Government (@buncombecounty) • Instagram

Follow City of Asheville (@cityofasheville) • Instagram

A Facebook group where people are sharing resources: Hurricane Helene: N. Asheville/Weaverville /Woodfin /Mars Hill | Facebook

Cellarest Beer Project in West Asheville has power but no water or Wi-Fi and opens at noon each day to offer whatever resources it has.

West Village Market on Haywood Rd will open at 10 a.m. tomorrow and will accept cash, credit, and EBT. As of 7 p.m. Sunday, they did not have power, and there may be a line as they limit the number of people in the store.

Burial Beer in South Slope has been opening at 11 a.m. or noon to offer food and resources. The opening for tomorrow is unconfirmed, but they were there today (Sunday).

Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain is selling canned six-packs of beer for $10 each, cash only, tomorrow (Monday) from 2 to 5 p.m.

World Central Kitchen will serve meals at 1 p.m. tomorrow (Monday) at Bears Smokehouse on Coxe Ave in downtown Asheville.

Stay tuned to City of Asheville and Buncombe County social media pages for updates on when and where food and water supplies will be made available.

Power outages remain widespread, but crews are working diligently to clear roadways and increase accessibility for repairs. Currently there is no established timeline for restorations, but Duke Energy hope to publish power restoration timelines in the coming days.

Residents trying to connect with family members may call NC 211 (or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state) to report missing loved ones. People in impacted areas can call Red Cross Reunification at 1-800-733-2767 to report they are safe. Please only use 911 for life-threatening emergencies to keep the lines open for critical situations.

North Carolina has officially received a Major Disaster Declaration meaning individuals in many counties (including Buncombe) eligible for Individual Assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Individuals can begin applying online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 1-800-462-7285 between 7 am and 10 pm EST).

A DO NOT DRIVE message remains in place from the NCDOT. Unless it is an emergency, please do not travel.

As of Saturday, September 28, Asheville Regional Airport has reopened for non-commercial air traffic, including planes delivering National Guard supplies. They are unable to accommodate commercial flights due to lack of internet service.

Cell service is improving by the hour thanks to the arrival of mobile network equipment.

The North Carolina National Guard has been deployed to provide support including 410 soldiers and airmen, 10 operating aircraft, and 76 high water vehicles.