Avery County manager updates board on storm recovery, distribution transition and debris cleanup

County Manager Philip Berry Jr. updated the Avery County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 6 on ongoing storm recovery efforts, saying the county will transition distribution of nonemergency hurricane-related assistance to local nonprofits and that individual assistance through FEMA has been extended to Feb. 6, 2025.

Berry said the county is moving distribution responsibilities back to nonprofit partners because the county lacks staff and a long-term facility for that work. He named Avery Family Impact, Feeding Avery Families, Habitat for Humanity, Volunteer Avery and the Avery County Long Term Recovery Team as organizations the county will rely on to continue distribution and casework.

The manager gave a progress report on debris removal. He said the contract debris hauler has been on site for 68 days and has removed about 152,534 cubic yards of debris; he noted it had been roughly 97 days since the storm. Berry asked residents to be patient as crews continue removal work.

Berry also flagged upcoming hazard-mitigation application support: county staff will be available Jan. 16 at the main campus between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to help residents complete acquisition, elevation and stabilization applications. He said some application language can be confusing — for example, damage to land should be reported under “home” on the application because the program counts land tied to the home under the home category.

The manager said the county will publish a press release describing the transition and how residents can access help. He reiterated that residents can still call the county hotline for hurricane-related nonemergency needs and will be connected to the appropriate nonprofit.

Berry thanked churches, volunteer groups, fire departments, county employees and businesses for their assistance during recovery efforts.