ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — If you’ve been feeling sick — vomiting and diarrhea — in the weeks since Tropical Storm Helene swamped the area, you may have gastroenteritis.

After major flooding events, such as Helene, the risk of gastroenteritis — a stomach and intestinal illness –— increases because of contaminated water, limited hygiene and food safety challenges, health officials said.

“An epidemiological review of hospital cases shows a slight increase in gastrointestinal cases and no increase in respiratory syndromes, keeping us below seasonal baseline levels for both,” Kendall Stacey — BSN, RN, CIC, CRCST and Mission Health AVP Infection Prevention — said. “No significant epidemiological trends in GI or respiratory illness have been identified.”

Buncombe County Medical Director Dr. Jennifer Mullendore recommended washing hands with soap or using hand sanitizer and consuming safe drinking water, including bottled water or water that has been boiled. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headache and muscle aches. Click here to learn more.

“While drinking non-potable can cause gastrointestinal infections, we have not observed any widespread public health impacts at Mission Hospital as shared by internet anecdotes at this time,” Stacey said.

Hot tubs can also be affected by the water outages that have plagued the area since Helene destroyed water lines from Asheville’s North Fork Reservoir.

Hot tubs may have been flooded, damaged or not received regular maintenance and cleaning since the storm, which could lead to a build-up of harmful bacteria, including the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease, health officials warned.

For hot tub owners:

  • If the hot tub did not receive regular cleaning during the storm or was damaged or flooded, drain the water from the hot tub.
  • Using fresh potable water, scrub, clean and rinse all surfaces of the hot tub as needed.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to replace and clean filters as needed.
  • Refill the hot tub with fresh, potable water. Water that is under a boil water notice should not be used for refilling a hot tub.
  • Return the hot tub to routine disinfectant levels and begin using it again. The routine disinfectant levels for a hot tub are free chlorine 3 to 10 parts per million (or ppm), bromine 4 to 8 ppm and water pH of 7.2 to 7.8.
  • If a regular source of fresh potable water is not available for servicing and refilling your hot tub, wait to resume use until a reliable water source is available. Again, water from a municipal supply operating under a boil water notice is not considered a reliable water source for a hot tub.
  • Water with high turbidity (meaning not very clear) is difficult to keep at proper disinfection levels and can cause buildup of biofilms on jets and other areas of the hot tub that allow for the growth of bacteria.

Early voting

Tuesday was the last day to request absentee ballots. More than 80,000 Buncombe County residents have cast their ballots so far, with 6,000 of those being absentee. The post office asks to mail absentee ballots a week in advance, so Tuesday was the last day to do so. Absentee ballots can also be dropped off at any early voting site or at the Election Services Office at 59 Woodfin Place in Asheville.

Early voting continues every day through 3 p.m. Saturday. Officials said an average of 6,700 voters are voting early each day, which is on par with 2020 trends. To date, 37 percent of registered voters in Buncombe County have voted early, officials said. The highest turnouts have been at the Weaverville and South Buncombe locations. To check wait times and other voter information, visit buncombecounty.org/vote.

Early voting locations are:

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

Community Care Stations

Community Care Stations are open and ready with showers, laundry and more. The Swannanoa Ingles Station will have new equipment switched out Tuesday night and while no disruptions are expected, we recommend visiting any of our other stations tomorrow morning to avoid any delays. The new site at Swannanoa Ingles will include drop-off laundry service. Our Community Care Station locations include:

  • A.C. Reynolds High School (ADA showers and restrooms)
  • At Home Store parking lot (ADA showers and restrooms)
  • Big Lots/Innsbrook mall
  • Buncombe County Sports Park (ADA showers and restrooms)
  • Bethel United Methodist (ADA showers and restrooms)
  • Swannanoa Ingles (ADA showers and restrooms)
  • Owen Pool (ADA showers and restrooms)
  • Morgan Hill Baptist Church (ADA showers and restrooms)

Buncombe County registered nurses and the Mobile Team are offering free Tdap, COVID, flu and hepatitis A vaccines at Community Care Sites, this includes:

  • 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.

Water and food distribution sites

Water and meals ready to eat are available at distribution sites open every day at:

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

Buncombe County Parks & Recreation

The Parks & Recreation Department said Glen Bridge and Corcoran Paige River parks have reopened. While these parks are open, people are asked not to use the river. The disc golf course at the Buncombe County Sports Park has also been cleared to open and is ready for play. Please note that the sports park also serves as a water distribution site and Community Care Station, so please do not park in the lots where these services are occurring; parking is available by fields 1, 2, 8 and 9.

Residents should not attempt to access closed parks including Lake Julian, Owen and Karpen Soccer Fields. The Ledges Whitewater, Alexander and Walnut Island River parks also remain closed. Hominy Valley Park and North Buncombe Fields are open.

Buncombe County Solid Waste

To date, 40,000 cubic yards of storm debris have been picked up in Barnardsville and Swannanoa. That’s about 40,000 full-sized mattresses. Debris cleanup, which includes debris from trees, homes, businesses and vehicles will be a lengthy process.

On Wednesday, Oct. 29, WastePro will operate normal routes for household trash and recycling in accessible locations in Swannanoa. For residents WastePro cannot reach, bagged trash drop-off is located at Hearts with Hands at 850 Warren Wilson Road from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday for household bagged trash only. Please note, this is a different location from prior weeks as the pool is a Community Care Station and school is back in session.

Buncombe County Emergency Services

While Buncombe County Emergency Services will begin shifting back to normal operations, expect delayed responses in getting to areas that have compromised infrastructure or debris in roadways.

The Fire Marshall’s Office has been working with private areas to determine a good water supply for fire hydrants. Residents are asked to be mindful of fire danger and be very cautious with burning.

Alternative housing that some people may be using after Helene needs to be equipped with safety equipment, including smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers and more.

Operation Gateway

Philip Cooper, with Operation Gateway, an organization addressing the social determinants of health, shared how organizations came together to establish the Edington Distribution Center to organize all the aid that came to the region in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. This includes collaboration with La Milpa, Asheville Dream Center, Asheville Housing Authority, Hands on Asheville and more. The organization was also able to acquire funding and organize volunteers to provide direct outreach in rural areas. Click here to learn more.

Pisgah Legal will be at the Edington Distribution Center on Thursday and Friday.

The One Buncombe Call Center at 828-250-6100 is ready to answer any calls with Hurricane Helene questions. Starting Wednesday, the One Buncombe Call Center will be open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Remembrance Ceremony

The Black Mountain community is invited to go to Town Square, 100 State St., at 6 p.m. for a Community Reflection and Remembrance Program. For those not able to join in person, there will be a livestream on the Town of Black Mountain’s official Facebook page.