McDowell County emergency team says major roads reopened, debris and housing needs remain after Hurricane Helene

William Keller, the county's emergency operations coordinator, told the McDowell County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 2025 that response and recovery operations related to Hurricane Helene remain active on day 139.

Keller said temporary bridges reopened traffic on two routes — a temporary structure on U.S. 221 North at Mountain Paradise Campground and another on U.S. 70 West at Curtis Creek — and that the reopening helped emergency services and local business access. “This will be the last time that you see roads on our situation update other than NC 80,” Keller said, and he noted a temporary bridge on U.S. 221 North opened the afternoon before the meeting.

Keller reported debris removal totals and recovery-center usage. As of the update, crews had removed 54,509 cubic yards of debris (an increase of about 9,400 cubic yards since the previous update) and 36,275 tons of silt (up roughly 8,500 tons). He said waterway debris removal is underway, beginning with Newberry Creek and Curtis Creek, and that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will expand operations across other waterways.

The e…