Woodfin manager outlines FEMA reimbursement timeline, park restorations and dispute over repair estimates

Town Manager Shannon Tuck told the Woodfin Town Council on Sept. 15 that work to obtain federal reimbursement for Hurricane Helene damage is progressing but remains complex and time-consuming, particularly for park restorations and infrastructure repairs.

Tuck said the town has “six different public assistance applications with FEMA,” with debris removal, waterways and public property/road/driveway restoration among the categories. She said the town submitted about 75 applications during the largest round and that “about a quarter of them” were denied, while roughly “25 to 35%” were eligible only with conditions.

The town manager said contractors are completing the bulk of the debris cleanup and that work on steep, heavily impacted Sunny Ridge properties will be finished first so crews can remain mobilized. She warned that decisions on what FEMA deems eligible — for example whether a damaged tree on an unmaintained slope constitutes a threat — have created uncertainty for many residents’ claims.

Tuck said engineering and permitting are driving long timelines for road and stormwater repairs. She said some culverts will require U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits and hydraulic-and-hydrologic (H&H) studies, which…