McDowell officials report steady progress in Hurricane Helene recovery, warn deadline for debris applications

William Keller provided a detailed update on recovery work from Hurricane Helene, reporting progress on debris removal, temporary housing and volunteer-led repairs while warning that significant work remains.

Keller said right-of-way debris removal is complete but waterway debris remains substantial; he gave figures showing 762,563 cubic yards of debris removed so far and an estimated 83,000 cubic yards remaining in the roadside tally shown that morning. He said hundreds of waterway sites have been identified for clearing but only a small share have been completed: “sites identified and approved are 700 and I think that says 23 … they’ve only cleared so far a 77 of those waterway sites,” Keller said. He added that waterway debris removal could push total removed debris well above one million cubic yards once larger waterways are addressed.

Keller said a disaster resource center…