News

Food and water on the way; utility and road crews at work

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 28, 2024

Potable water and food, fuel for first responders is on the way and more than 1,500 state workers have deployed to Western North Carolina to help reopen roads closed because of tree and debris obstruction or flooding, U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards said in a news release Saturday.

"Hurricane Helene hit our beautiful mountains with a ferocity unmatched by any storm in our district’s history," he said. “But I have been encouraged by the number of neighbors I’ve seen helping neighbors, and I know our community will persist. Mountain folk are resilient. We will make it through this, together.

"To keep you informed, I am committed to sending you a daily update on the steps being taken to respond and recover from Hurricane Helene.”

Here’s the first update.

Food and water

• Far and wide, the biggest need of every county in NC-11 is access to food and potable water.
• A total of 37 water systems are on a systemwide boil water advisory across North Carolina, with 31 systems awaiting results to hopefully allow for the water to be turned back on.
• Potable water and meals are actively en route from central North Carolina to Western North Carolina.
• Air operations for food and water deliveries begin this afternoon in areas without roadway access.

Power and Gas

• Power outages are widespread but accessibility for repairs is limited.
• Currently, there is no established timeline for restorations.
• More than 700,000 North Carolinians lost power due to the storm.
• Power for 281,000 of the initial 700,000 has been restored, but Western North Carolina faces a unique challenge due to the high number of road closures throughout the district.
• Duke Energy warns that Western North Carolinians should be prepared for potential multi-day outages, though energy providers are doing everything they can to restore power quickly.
• Duke Energy has 11,000 workers working quickly and safely on repairs, including additional crews from 19 states and Canada.
• Fuel planning is ongoing for both rescue operations and communications resources.
• Fuel contracts have been activated. A fuel contract provides a steady fuel reserve during an emergency.
• For local governments in need of fuel for their vehicles
  Ensure your Emergency Operation Center has submitted the request for gasoline with North Carolina Emergency Management to have your request processed and gasoline delivered.
• Gasoline can also be delivered via air if road access is limited.

Roads

North Carolina Department of Transportation has issued a “DO NOT DRIVE” message for Western North Carolina.

• Unless it is an emergency, please do not try to travel.
• Roughly 400 roads are closed in Western North Carolina, with the majority being in Henderson (50), Buncombe (25) and Jackson (21) counties.
• 73 of these are primary routes including I-40, I-26, U.S. 74 at I-40 in Asheville, and dozens of U.S. and N.C. routes.
• Most of the current closures are due to high water where the roadway is impassable or flooded, land/rockslides, downed power lines, pipe failures, and fallen trees.
• More than 1,500 employees from across the state have deployed to Western North Carolina to address road closures related to the storm.
• Crews are actively working to clear trees and rock/landslide debris throughout Western North Carolina to reestablish accessibility, including clearing efforts along the I-40 and I-26 corridors.

Asheville Regional Airport

Asheville Regional Airport closed mid-day due to flooding.
The airport was expected to reopen Saturday.

Cell Service

• Western North Carolina has seen severe cell service outages due to the severe weather.
• Madison County is worst affected, with less than 8 percent capacity available through Verizon.
• Service providers have deployed Compact Rapid Deployables throughout Western North Carolina, including to Hendersonville, Lake Junaluska, and Waynesville, with more en route. Compact Rapid Deployables are a transportable cell tower and internet access point, that can generate wired internet and wi-fi coverage anytime and anywhere.
• Service providers have deployed SatCOLTs throughout Western North Carolina, including to Asheville and Hendersonville, with more en route. SatCOLT stands for “Satellite Cells on Light Trucks” and are vehicles with mobile cell sites that connect via satellite and do not rely on commercial power supply.

North Carolina National Guard

• 410 North Carolina National Guard soldiers and airmen have been deployed to provide support to Western North Carolina so far.
  This includes the deployment of 146 vehicles and 12 aircraft.
• The Asheville National Guard armory has relocated to East Flat Rock due to lost power so they may continue operations and providing support to Western North Carolina.

Shelters

For those unable to evacuate to a safe location or in need of a place to go, the following shelters are currently open and available as of September 28:

Buncombe
WNC Agricultural Center
1301 Fanning Bridge Rd, Fletcher, NC 28732
Henderson
Henderson County Recreation Center
708 S. Grove St, Hendersonville, NC 28792