Home Top Stories Emergency program closures, Mountain BizWorks assistance, mental health assistance

Emergency program closures, Mountain BizWorks assistance, mental health assistance

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Emergency program closures, Mountain BizWorks assistance, mental health assistance

Buncombe County Helene’s recovery briefing on Thursday, December 19 covered holiday government and utility closures, free mental health programs, updates on the Asheville Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund and more.

December 19 marks day 85 of recovery after Tropical Storm Helene tore through the Western North Carolina region in late September, leaving behind devastation.

The briefings will go live on the Buncombe County Facebook page on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. On the page you will also find recordings of previous briefings. Here’s what else was covered during Thursday’s briefing.

Holiday Closures in Buncombe County

Buncombe County officials informed the public that government offices will be closed during the winter holidays from December 24 to 26 and January 1. Some emergency services after Helene, such as community care stations, rubble collection and solid waste, will have adjusted opening hours:

  • Community Care Stations and the One Buncombe call center will be closed December 24-26 and January 1.

  • The FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Asheville Mall will close at noon on Tuesday, December 24 and will be closed December 25-26 and January 1.

  • The collection centers for the removal of private property are closed on December 24-25, December 31 and January 1.

In addition, Buncombe County Sports Park and Lake Julian Park will be closed December 24-25 and January 1. All other parks currently open after Helene will remain open through the holidays. Beyond the holiday closures, officials also reminded the public to only use park facilities that are officially open.

Open parks after Helene include:

  • Corcoran Paige River Park

  • Buncombe County Sports Park.

For a complete list of holiday closures, visit buncombecounty.org.

There will be no community briefings the week of Christmas due to the holiday closures, but any new important information that comes in will be posted on buncombeready.org and the county’s social media pages. You can also sign up to receive updates directly to your phone by texting BCAlert to 99411.

Holiday waste collection, transition from Waste Pro to FCC

Waste Pro will also be closed for the holidays on December 25th. There will be no trash or recycling collection on December 25th. The collection is delayed by one day, with collection on Wednesday on Thursday, collection on Thursday on Friday and collection on Friday on Saturday.

Waste Pro’s contract with Buncombe County ends Jan. 1. There will be no collection on that day, while the FCC will start collection on January 2 with a one-day delay.

More: Contractors continue work on I-40 stretch closed by Helene: What you need to know about leisure travel

Asheville Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund Updates

Noah Wilson, a representative of Mountain BizWorks, provided updates on the organization’s first round of awards through the Asheville Buncombe Rebuilding Together Grant Fund.

With the first round of funding, the grant fund has been able to support 276 small businesses in the region 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 applications for this grant alone reported $215 million in combined physical damage and economic losses from Helene, with 843 applications requesting $18 million in funds to help people with their businesses. He added that Buncombe County’s unemployment rate skyrocketed from one of the lowest in the state to one of the highest after Helene.

“This really underscores 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 small businesses severely impacted by Helene, ranging from sole proprietorships with one employee to well-known restaurants and retailers with dozens of employees.

Businesses looking to retain and rehire local workers were given priority to receive $25,000 grants. This enabled the hiring of 2,935 local jobs, including the recovery of 1,035 local jobs. Businesses with ten or fewer employees received 71% of the awards, while 79% of the awards went to small businesses owned by women, people of color and people with low incomes.

Grants can be used for cleanup, replacing lost inventory, temporary drinking water solutions, paying employees and more. However, Wilson added that the demand for assistance was more than five times the available funding. As more money comes in after the first round of funding, more and more grants will be awarded.

In addition to grant funding, Mountain BizWorks has also been able to provide nearly $21 million in loan funds to 351 businesses in Buncombe County.

For more information about post-Helene financial assistance programs, visit wncstrongtogether.org.

Helene Debris Removal in Buncombe County

As of today, Thursday, December 19, 563,299 cubic yards of debris have been removed from public roads in Buncombe County, Black Mountain and Asheville.

To collect the waste, separate the waste and place it within 3 meters of the right-of-way, but at a distance. Make sure there is no waste near low hanging lines so that trucks can collect it safely.

If you are unable to move storm debris to public streets, or if unsafe structures need to be demolished, you may be eligible to have this debris removed through the PPDR program. You must sign a right of entry form to allow cleaning crews onto your property. To apply, visit one of the intake centers or apply online at buncombeready.org. For questions about PPDR or other waste disposal, call the One Buncombe hotline at 828-250-6100.

Except for changes in holiday hours, take-back centers are open at the Black Mountain Library, Barnardsville Fire Department, Swannanoa Fire and Rescue at the Bee Tree and the Fairview Library Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. open from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and from 9am to 2pm on Saturdays.

Farm and ranch help after Helene

County officials reminded NC 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 needed for jobs or as a self-employed person.

Items that may be covered if they are damaged in the disaster, are not replaceable, and are not covered by insurance include tractors, plows, seeders or planters, harvesters, sprayers, hay balers, and commercial vehicles.

Ranch hands may be eligible for assistance if tools and equipment that employers or education require are damaged. Apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362, or in person at the Asheville Mall Disaster Recovery Center.

Ellaberry Llama Farm will be on display Monday, December 9, 2024 at 4178 Old Clear Creek Road in Hendersonville. The business is temporarily closed as they rebuild after the farm was flooded during Tropical Storm Helene.

Helene Housing Assistance Recovery Grant

The application period for the Helene Recovery Housing Assistance Grant closed on December 18. The program received a total of more than 6,000 funding applications that are currently being processed. Staff will begin reviewing applications on December 23 and applicants will hear from staff on an ongoing basis.

Community Care Stations Buncombe County

There are four Community Care Stations remaining in the most affected Buncombe communities:

  • Morgan Hill Baptist Church, 594 Barnardsville Highway

  • Bethel United Methodist, 1050 Riceville Road

  • Owen Pool, 117 Stone Drive, Swannanoa

  • Fairview Ingles at 225 Charlotte Highway near Reynolds High

Apart from the changes to holiday times, stations will remain open from 7am to 7pm to continue serving residents in these hard-hit areas. Buncombe County will provide additional information about these sites as soon as possible.

More: Will Krispy Kreme reopen in Asheville after Tropical Storm Helene?

Free mental health resources

County officials emphasized the importance of mental health care after Helene and provided the following list of free resources:

  • Disaster Emergency Hotline – Call 1-800-985-5990 for 24/7 crisis advice following a natural disaster or emergency.

  • 988 Crisis Line – Call, text or chat 988 for immediate support from trained responders.

  • Peer Warmline – Contact 1-855-PEERS NC (855-733-7762) for 24/7 non-clinical support from Peer Support Specialists.

  • 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

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