close
close

Yiamastaverna

Trusted News & Timely Insights

    • Drone images show the full extent of Helene’s damage
    Duluth

    Drone images show the full extent of Helene’s damage

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

    As Buncombe County and Asheville officials gave their press update Friday afternoon, the region’s water issues remained top of mind. And despite significant repairs to the systems, there is still a long way to go.

    Although there is no set timeline for when water and power service can be fully restored, officials said all personnel have been mobilized and Buncombe County government will provide twice-daily updates indefinitely.

    Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said the Environmental Protection Agency is aware of potential problems with well water and is reviewing the potential safety and health issues that could arise. FEMA and other federal agencies were present.

    “Be extremely careful,” Pinder said. Well water should be boiled for at least a minute or used only to flush toilets, she added.

    play

    Boil Water Notice: What Should You Do?

    As a precautionary measure, a boil water advisory is being issued to protect consumers from drinking water that may be contaminated with pathogenic organisms.

    Ginny Beagan, TCPALM

    Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller was not present at Friday afternoon’s briefing and there was no update on the number of deaths in the county, which was last at 72 on Thursday.

    Damage to Asheville’s water mains

    Ben Woody, Asheville’s deputy city manager, gave a demonstration and showed drone footage of the severely damaged water pipes that had emerged behind Helene.

    The North Fork water treatment facility is the most important facility and can power the entire system, although it is typically responsible for only 80% of Asheville’s clean water.

    Drone images show that the lines are completely destroyed.

    Even replacement water pipes that had been laid 25 feet underground as redundancy after damage in 2004 were broken by Helene.

    The primary water lines are completely gone, Woody said. Replacement lines will be buried deeper and provided with additional protection to prevent future damage. “We still need to do a lot of work on the distribution system and still need to be able to treat the water,” he said.

    The Mills River plant has moved from reduced capacity to fully operational and has the correct pressure and capacity it needs, with the limitation that it can only supply water to approximately 20% of the water system.

    Drone footage showed crews searching for access to buried pipes deep in the muddy water. Woody described the process as “grueling” work for these teams.

    Asheville Police are working missing persons cases

    Deputy Chief Sean Aardema said the entire detective division has been working to locate missing people in Asheville since Helene came through.

    Since Helene, a total of over 300 missing person reports have been filed and 270 have now been found alive and well. There are currently 75 people missing and local police are working with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI in their efforts.

    Individuals were found trapped in rubble and taken for medical treatment.

    Asheville PD’s drone team is working with rescue teams from multiple agencies as well as private sector drone operators to augment the effort.

    Mission Hospital and VA receive external water supplies

    Mission Hospital currently has a stable power supply, although it does not have municipal water.

    “We have been fully operational for several days,” said Greg Lowe, president of Mission Health.

    Using an external water source, Lowe said the hospital is able to transport 40 to 50 tankers of water to meet its daily water needs of 250,000 gallons.

    The hospital has also set up markets within the hospital where employees can shop and provide their families with basic necessities, as well as trucks to deliver gasoline to get them to and from work.

    Doctor Ashfaq Ahsanuddin, chief of staff for the VA Health System for Asheville, which operates several nursing homes in the Asheville area, said it is able to provide limited care to veterans in the area. “We have a backup generator and conventional electricity. We have the capability to perform limited surgical procedures in an emergency,” he said. The VA system has shifted non-essential care to virtual visits.

    They receive over a dozen water deliveries daily and test it to ensure it is safe for nursing.

    Where to find water and food in Buncombe and Asheville

    The following water distribution locations will be open until 7:00 p.m. or supplies will run out. Please bring containers to refill water:

    • William W. Estes Elementary School – 275 Overlook Road, Asheville
    • Sand Hill Elementary – 154 Sand Hill School Road, Asheville (please enter via Acton Circle)
    • North Windy Ridge Intermediate School – 20 Doan Road, Weaverville
    • Fairview Elementary School – 1355 Charlotte Highway, Fairview
    • Black Mountain Ingles – 550 NC-9, Black Mountain
    • Cane Middle Creek Middle – 570 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fletcher
    • Leicester Primary School – 31 Gilbert Road, Leicester

    Food in the form of ready-to-eat meals (MRE) and bottled water are available at two distribution locations:

    • Asheville Middle School, 211 S. French Broad Avenue, Asheville,
    • Lindwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Road, Asheville

    Free hot food and water will be available on Saturday from 12:30 p.m. while supplies last. A tanker truck distributes water to those who bring their own containers.

    • Quality Inn, 1430 Tunnel Rd
    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Eira Gwyneth
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads