Buncombe officials report progress on debris removal; private-property program extended to Aug. 1

Jerry Edwards, a county staff member, updated the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on debris removal and related recovery work following Tropical Storm Helene.

Edwards said the direct federal assistance mission for right-of-way debris removal is complete and that roughly 1,500,000 cubic yards of material have been removed from county rights of way. He told the board the county has collected soil and silt estimated at about 150,000 tons, which he said equates to roughly 6,500 loads.

The private-property debris removal program was extended to Aug. 1 to allow FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) more time to scope and complete remaining work. Edwards said Buncombe County and consultant Tetra Tech have received 5,292 applications for private-property debris removal and that 5,282 packages were delivered to federal partners for scoping. As of the update, 3,985 private parcels had been cleaned.

Edwards warned residents not to bring debris to rights of way, saying, “Please do not bring debris to the right of way,” because county collection vehicles are no longer removing material there. He noted the Buncombe County Landfill remains available, with a standard tip fee of $45 per ton for C&D and MSW and a reduced $22.50-per-ton rate for separated streams such as vegetative debris, concrete, brick and earth materials.

Waterway debris removal was also extended through the end of the month; Edwards said AshBritt projects were approximately 95% complete and that the waterway work focused on points identified as immediate threats to public infrastructure or safety. He repeated guidance for residents to report unresolved private-property debris concerns to the county debris management email and to the Buncombe call center at (828) 250-6100 (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; closed Thursday for Juneteenth).

On residential and commercial demolition tied to the private-property program, Edwards said 190 demolition applications have been received. He reported that Buncombe County, working with Tetra Tech, submitted 107 demolition packets to FEMA and USACE for review: 74 for Buncombe County properties, 23 for the City of Asheville and 10 for the Town of Black Mountain. Ten of those packets have completed FEMA/USACE review and are awaiting final funding sign-off.

Edwards said delays on some demolition packets are driven by required documentation, including historic-preservation review with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and lienholder clearances. He estimated an average SHPO review period of six to nine weeks for affected packets.

Ending note: county staff said they continue to coordinate with FEMA, USACE, North Carolina Emergency Management and consultants to get outstanding packets scoped and completed before the Aug. 1 deadline for private-property debris removal.