ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Search and rescue teams have completed about 90 percent of their primary searches, Buncombe County officials said Sunday.

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams — eight are federal resources, six are from North Carolina and three are local — have been working with local fire departments and other emergency operations assets to search areas devasted by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Helene. More teams are en route to assist in these efforts.

Local authorities and emergency responders have deemed the damage from the storm to be more limited in the western areas of Buncombe County near Leicester, Candler and Beaverdam, so USAR teams are focusing their efforts on central Buncombe County and moving eastward, a news release from the county said.

About 90 percent of primary searches have been completed. These searches typically involve a 360-degree exterior survey of structures that appear undamaged. Primary searches are expected to be completed within the next day or two, according to the news release.

Targeted searches, which involve areas with more severe damage or debris piles, will take longer to complete. These searches require specialized resources like heavy equipment and trained canine units to systematically search difficult terrain. County officials did not have statistics on the progress of these targeted searches.

Shelters

Buncombe County shelters are still available for the general population at:

  • A-B Tech Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Drive, Asheville, NC 28801 (Please use Victoria Road Entrance.)
  • The former’s Gold’s Gym, 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.
  • Medical Emergency Shelter for individuals who are dependent on medical equipment requiring power is located at 10 Genevieve Circle, Asheville.
  • The shelter at the Ag Center is full – please do not go there.

Please note that the shelters do not have resources for the general community and are not donation locations. Visit Buncombeready.org for donation locations.

For questions about storm-related issues, please call our call center at 828-250-6100.

FEMA Assistance

Helping in recovery efforts is FEMA, whose representatives are out in our community helping get community members impacted by Helene connected to assistance.

These locations are:

  • Black Mountain Ingles
  • Pack Square Park
  • Emma Street, where Spanish language teams are also available
  • New Bridge Baptist
  • Basilica of St. Lawrence
  • Walmart in Arden

Power

As of Monday morning, about 68,000 customers in Buncombe County were still without power, according to the Duke Energy Outage Map.

Unless you live in one of the small communities that has been badly damaged by the storm, please stay out. The traffic volume is severely impacting crews’ abilities to respond.

Solid waste

Waste Pro collection service will resume for regular Monday route customers. Waste Pro will collect household garbage where collection vehicles can safely access customers. Waste Pro will also operate a household bagged trash drop-off location Monday from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at Leicester Elementary, 31 Gilbert Road, Leicester. Recycling collection is temporarily suspended while repair work is underway at the recycling process facility. If needed, subscribers may use their Waste Pro recycling cart for additional bagged trash space need. Please do not place storm-generated debris at the collection points for Waste Pro service.