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Union County officials outline debris removal work after Hurricane Helene, request extension from FEMA
Summary
Emergency management officials told the Board of Commissioners that contractors have removed tens of thousands of cubic yards of debris from waterways after Hurricane Helene and that the county has asked federal partners for an extension past the June 1 project completion date.
Andrew Ansley, Union County Emergency Management director, updated commissioners on waterway debris removal related to Hurricane Helene at the May 5 meeting and said county staff have requested an extension from federal partners because contractors cannot finish all identified locations by the June 1 deadline.
Ansley said the Army Corps of Engineers coordinates debris removal under FEMA-authorized programs and that removal is focused on material that poses flooding risks. He told the board crews began work in Union County on March 29 and that as of his update they had removed about 50,000 cubic yards of debris. Ansley said roughly 50 potential debris sites were identified in the county and about 73 sites had been approved for work; he said some sites remain in review.
“There's an army of vehicles. These dump trucks, you've probably seen up and down the roads throughout the county,” Ansley said. He told commissioners roughly 25 crews and 28 hauling vehicles have performed the work, with contractors processing material into mulch at temporary sites before hauling to a farm on Morgan Mill Road.
Ansley described the review and approvals required for temporary disposal sites, including coordination among FEMA, the Army Corps, the Department of Environmental Quality and others. He said the Army Corps decides which locations qualify for this program and that there is no cost to residents, businesses or municipalities for debris removal performed under that federal program.
Commissioners asked about the scope of removal. Ansley said contractors remove material from the bed of streams and typically work “30 or 40 feet” beyond the waterway to collect debris that settled on land during flood events, but that contractors do not remove live vegetation unless property owners provide permission or special circumstances require it.
Ansley said he requested an extension and that the Army Corps and FEMA were considering it; he said the county had received calls from residents and municipal officials who welcomed the cleanup. “We made a request last Thursday for an extension because the amount of debris that's in the county they're not gonna get done before June 1,” he told the board.
The board asked staff to keep commissioners updated on the status of the extension request and on contractor scheduling and approvals.
