ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The remnants of Hurricane Helene didn’t just damage homes and businesses in Asheville and surrounding towns. Local farmers were hurt, too.
But some help is coming.
A fencing grant is available for livestock producers in Western North Carolina who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. Stay-Tuff has offered to do what it can to help by donating supplies and time of its fencing crews.
All applications will be heavily considered. The N.C. Cooperative Extension can be available for application assistance if needed. Stay-Tuff will review the applications and decide what projects it can move forward on. Applications are due by Nov. 15 and can be found here.
Garbage haulers
This week, Waste Pro will follow normal routes where accessible. Bagged trash drop-off is at various locations this week from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Bagged trash drop-off on Thursday will be at the Ingles in Fairview and on Friday at the North Buncombe Pool.
As Waste Pro continues to access normal routes where possible, Buncombe County is resuming the transition to its new trash and recycling pick-up service provider, FCC Environmental Services. Waste Pro customers will need to sign up for service with FCC Environmental to continue household trash and recycling pick-up after Jan. 1.
Residents whose trash cans currently have a Waste Pro logo, need to subscribe to FCC by Dec. 15, 2024, to avoid any service interruption. No payment is due when registering. To sign up, call 828-820-7022 or visit fccenvironmental.com/buncombe-county.
Debris cleanup
Debris cleanup continues in Buncombe County. By the end of the week, debris pickup trucks will expand to the northeast area of the county, including Barnardsville. Residents in the southeast and northeast sections of the county, including Fairview, Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Barnardsville, should get as much of their debris to the rights of way as possible. Keep in mind this is a first pass and there will be multiple passes. Storm debris pickup will take months with the amount of debris the storm created.
Early voting
Election Day is a week away, and early voting continues through 3 p.m. Saturday. To check wait times and other voter information visit buncombecounty.org/vote. Early voters need to bring their ID this year.
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 switch out of equipment at the Swannanoa Ingles Station went smoothly overnight, and that location now features a drop-off laundry service. All Community Care Stations now have ADA-accessible showers and bathrooms.
Community Care Station locations are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and are at:
- A.C. Reynolds High School
- At Home Store parking lot
- Big Lots/Innsbrook mall
- Buncombe County Sports Park
- Bethel United Methodist
- Swannanoa Ingles
- Owen Pool
- Morgan Hill Baptist Church
Buncombe County registered nurses and the Mobile Team are offering free Tdap, COVID, Flu and Hep A vaccines at Community Care sites, including:
- 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
FEMA
FEMA will remain active in the region for the duration of the response and the recovery. Those who are able to do so should register for FEMA assistance by visiting disasterassistance.gov or calling 1-800-621-3362. In-person assistance is available at the Disaster Recovery Center at Cane Creek Pool, 590 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fairview from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. This is a critical first stop for the recovery process, this includes the Serious Needs Assistance, which provides cash for life-sustaining and life-saving supplies like food, water and medical equipment supplies. There is also Displacement Assistance if you cannot be in your house.
City of Asheville updates
- Aston Park Tennis Center opened all courts to the general public on Wednesday and will be free until internet service is restored.
- All Asheville council committee, advisory board and quasi-judicial boards staffed by city employees will be suspended until Jan. 1, 2025. Exceptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis for time-sensitive or storm-related items.
- ART bus services continue to be free until further notice.
- Parking is free at all city garages and parking spaces.
Spectrum
In Buncombe County, 99 percent of Spectrum service is restored. But about 1,600 homes and businesses are offline because of damage to the network. More than 550 staff are working to restore service, and teams are placed in areas with the largest number of customers offline.
Restoration has taken longer than anticipated because of significant damage and challenges teams have been facing. Teams are also working among downed trees, debris and difficult terrain.
Repairs continue on a major artery of Spectrum’s fiber network in Black Mountain and Weaverville.
Spectrum anticipates having services restored to accessible homes over the next 48 hours. If a customer’s service is not restored after that point, customers should report it to Spectrum at Spectrum.net/helene so crews can come out to investigate.
Once customers’ services are restored, Spectrum will automatically apply the appropriate credit for the time the service was down.
One Buncombe
The One Buncombe Call Center at 828-250-6100 is ready to answer any calls with Hurricane Helene questions Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.