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DEQ outlines Hurricane Helene response: drinking water, wastewater and debris operations
Summary
DEQ Secretary Kelly briefed the EMC on Hurricane Helene response, detailing field rescues, water and wastewater system impacts, temporary debris sites, coordination with FEMA/Corps/NCDOT, bridge-loan financing, and estimates that more than 10 million cubic yards of debris will need removal.
Secretary Kelly briefed the Environmental Management Commission on the department's ongoing Hurricane Helene response and recovery work, describing field rescues, damage assessments, and the scale of debris and infrastructure impacts across western North Carolina.
Kelly said DEQ deployed staff to emergency operations centers and field assessments as waters receded and that division teams assisted with swift-water rescues, dam monitoring and rapid assessments of drinking‑water and wastewater systems. "We were mainly focused on two emergency support functions: ESF‑3 for public infrastructure and ESF‑10 for oil and hazardous materials," Kelly said. She described widespread communication outages, collapsed bridges, landslides, and…
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