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Beech Creek residents press county for bridge, county points to state bridge program and FEMA backlog
Summary
A Beech Creek resident told the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners that six permanent residents remain cut off by a private bridge destroyed in last year's storms. County officials said the stateprivate-road bridge program and FEMA processes are both involved and that private-property debris and stream cleanup programs exist but are slow.
Jim Andrews, a Beech Creek resident, told the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners that six permanent residents remain without a working private bridge and are relying on a neighbor's crossing to reach their homes. "Wereally need this bridge because something worse is gonna happen, if it's not fixed soon," Andrews said during public comment.
County Manager Alan (county manager) told the board that FEMA individual assistance and a new state private-road bridge program are both part of the response. "State is running bridal program," he said, noting the county has a dashboard showing registered bridges and that the state program prioritizes bridges serving multiple residents. He said the state'installed bridges are typically permanent railcar bridges designed to meet fire-truck standards and that gated communities may face a 50 percent cost share.
The county manager also described other debris programs. He said the county previously used STRAP-like funds and the USDA EWP (Emergency Watershed Protection) program to remove stream and bank debris but that these programs are funded in rounds and require rights-of-entry from multiple landowners. "You might not hear nothing for 6 months or a year," he said of the EWP rollout, adding that the state bridge program had begun assessments in Mitchell County and that contracts for building were likely to be bid in a month or two.
Andrews asked whether residents should press the state rather than the county; the county manager advised residents to sign up for the state private-road bridge program and said county staff would continue to press FEMA. He also urged residents to use the county website (mitchellcountync.gov ' Helene resources) to register for programs.
The board did not take formal action on Andrews's request at the meeting. Commissioners and staff encouraged residents to complete state and FEMA registrations so the properties can be assessed for priority repairs or bridge replacement.
For now, the county is continuing outreach to state bridge officials and FEMA and advising residents to pursue both FEMA individual assistance and the state bridge program as appropriate. The county manager said construction under the state program could begin in the fall once contracts are let, but he cautioned that timing depends on assessments, bids and federal/state funding flows.
