The Thursday, Dec. 19, Buncombe County Helene recovery briefing covered holiday government and relief program closures, free mental health programs, updates on the Asheville Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund and more.
Dec. 19 marks day 85 of recovery after Tropical Storm Helene swept through the Western North Carolina region in late September, leaving destruction in its wake.
Briefings go live on the Buncombe County Facebook page at 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. You can also find recordings of past briefings on the page. Here’s what else was covered in Thursday’s briefing.
Buncombe County holiday closures
Buncombe County officials informed the public that government offices will be closed for the winter holidays Dec. 24-26 and Jan. 1. Some post-Helene emergency services such as Community Care Stations, debris collection and solid waste will have altered hours:
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Community Care Stations and the One Buncombe call Center will be closed Dec. 24-26 and Jan. 1.
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The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Asheville Mall will close at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 24 and will be closed Dec. 25-26, and Jan. 1.
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Private Property Debris Removal intake centers will be closed Dec. 24-25, 31 and Jan. 1.
Additionally, Buncombe County Sports Park and Lake Julian Park are closed Dec. 24-25 and Jan. 1. All other parks currently open post-Helene will remain open for the holidays. Outside of holiday closures, officials also reminded the public to only use park facilities that are officially open.
Open parks post-Helene include:
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Corcoran Paige River Park
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Buncombe County Sports Park.
For a full list of holiday closures, visit buncombecounty.org.
Community briefings will not occur the week of Christmas due to holiday closures, but any new important information that comes in will be posted to buncombeready.org and county social media pages. You can also sign up to receive updates straight to your phone by texting BCAlert to 99411.
Holiday trash collection, Waste Pro to FCC transition
Waste Pro will also have holiday closures, with no trash or recycling pickup on Dec. 25. Collection will operate on a one-day delay, with Wednesday collection on Thursday, Thursday collection on Friday and Friday collection on Saturday.
Waste Pro’s contract with Buncombe County ends Jan. 1. There will be no collection on that day, with FCC beginning collection on a one-day delay on Jan. 2.
More: Contractors continue work on I-40 section closed by Helene: What to know about holiday travel
Asheville Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund updates
Noah Wilson, a representative for Mountain BizWorks, provided updates on the organization’s first round of awards via the Asheville Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund.
With the first round of funding, the grant fund has been able to support 276 area small businesses with $3.69 million in grant funding. Major funding has been provided by Buncombe County and Asheville, as well as the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Mountain Strong Fund. The Mountain BizWorks WNC Strong Fund has also received hundreds of donations.
Wilson said that applications for this grant alone reported $215 million in combined physical damages and economic losses due to Helene, with 843 applications requesting $18 million in funds to help people with their businesses. He added that Buncombe County’s unemployment rate skyrocketed post-Helene from one of the lowest in the state to one of the highest.
“That truly highlights the need for additional federal and state resources to ensure our businesses have the support they need to recover and thrive,” Wilson said.
Grants of $25,000 to local Buncombe County based small businesses that experiencedc severe impacts from Helene ranging from single employee sole proproetorships to well-known restaurants and retailers employing dozens.
Companies seeking to retain and rehire local employees were prioritized to receive grants of $25,000. This allowed for the hiring of 2,935 local positions, including returning 1,035 local jobs. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees received 71% of awards, while 79% of awards went to small businesses owned by women, people of color and low-income individuals.
Grants can be used for cleanup, replacing lost inventory, temporary potable water solutions, paying employees and more. However, Wilson added that the demand for assistance was more than five times the available funding. As more funds come in following the first round of funding, grants will continue to be awarded.
Alongside funding for grants, Mountain BizWorks has also been able to provide almost $21 million in loaned funds to 351 Buncombe County businesses.
Visit wncstrongtogether.org for more information on financial assistance programs post-Helene.
Helene debris removal in Buncombe County
As of today, Thursday, Dec. 19, 563,299 cubic yards of debris have been removed from the public right of way in Buncombe County, Black Mountain and Asheville.
For right of way pickup, separate your debris and place it within 10 feet of the right of way but away. Ensure debris is away from low hanging lines so that trucks are able to pick it up safely.
If you cannot move storm debris to the public right of way, or if unsafe structures need to come down, you may be eligible to have this debris removed through the PPDR program. You must sign a Right of Entry form to allow cleanup crews on your property. To apply, visit one of the intake centers or apply online at buncombeready.org. For questions about PPDR or other debris removal, call the One Buncombe hotline at 828-250-6100.
Apart from holiday hour changes, intake centers are open at the Black Mountain Library, Barnardsville Fire Department, Swannanoa Fire and Rescue at the Bee Tree and the Fairview Library from Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The intake center at the Asheville Mall is open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Farmer and ranch hand assistance post-Helene
County officials reminded N.C. farmers and ranch hands whose tools or equipment were damaged by Helene that they may be eligible for disaster assistance to replace disaster-damaged essential tools, supplies, equipment and items required for jobs or self-employment.
Items that can be covered if damaged by the disaster, not replaceable and not covered by insurance include tractors, plows, seeders or planters, harvesters, sprayers, hay balers and utility vehicles.
Ranch hands may qualify for assistance if tools and equipment required by employers or for education were damaged. Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362, or in person at the Asheville Mall Disaster Recovery Center.
Ellaberry Llama Farm is seen Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at 4178 Old Clear Creek Road in Hendersonville. The business is temporarily closed as they rebuild after the farm flooded during Tropical Storm Helene.
Helene Recovery Housing Assistance Grant
The application period for the Helene Recovery Housing Assistance Grant closed Dec. 18. The program received over 6,000 total applications for funding that are currently being processed. Staff will begin review of applications on Dec. 23, and applicants will hear back from staff on a rolling basis.
Community Care Stations Buncombe County
There are four Community Care Stations remaining in the most impacted Buncombe communities:
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Morgan Hill Baptist Church, 594 Barnardsville Highway
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Bethel United Methodist, 1050 Riceville Road
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Owen Pool, 117 Stone Drive, Swannanoa
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Fairview Ingles at 225 Charlotte Highway by Reynolds High
Apart from holiday hour changes, stations will remain open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. to continue serving residents in these highly impacted areas. Buncombe County will provide additional information about these sites as soon as possible.
More: Is Krispy Kreme reopening in Asheville after Tropical Storm Helene?
Free mental health resources
County officials emphasized the importance of mental health post-Helene and provided the following list of free resources:
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Disaster Distress Helpline – Call 1-800-985-5990 for 24/7 crisis counseling after a natural disaster or emergency.
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988 Crisis Line – Call, text or chat 988 for immediate support from trained counselors.
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Peer Warmline – Reach out to 1-855-PEERS NC (855-733-7762) for 24/7 non-clinical support from Peer Support Specialists.
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Hope4NC Helpline – First responders and volunteers can call 1-855-587-3463 anytime for free, confidential mental health support.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe Helene recovery: Emergency program closures, Rebuilding Fund