State lawmaker says emergency appropriations bill for storm relief is in the works

Roads in Western North Carolina will require extensive repairs. The above photo is in Southeastern Buncombe County; South of N.C. 9 (Photo: NCDOT)

Rep. Lindsey Prather may be new to the legislature, but she has called Buncombe County home for over 16 years. That’s why the devastation Hurricane Helene wrought in the mountains hurts so much — it’s personal.

Prather, a Buncombe County Democrat, has spent the days following the storm like many of her neighbors: no electricity, no internet, limited cell service, and trying to coordinate next steps.

“We are experiencing just mass devastation. It is absolutely heartbreaking,” Prather told NC Newsline on Tuesday. “We are still working to reach people that we haven’t been able to connect with. So, it’s still very much a crisis at this point. And it’s really, really hard to see such a beautiful place that so many people feel very connected to just destroyed.”

Buncombe County has been the state’s hardest hit county with 57 confirmed deaths and hundreds still unaccounted for. Across the Southeast the death toll has risen above 160. Early damage estimates for the states hit by Helene is expected to be in the tens of billions of dollars.

Prather is hopeful her colleagues in the General Assembly can help expedite financial support for the region when they convene next week. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senator President Phil Berger told Prather on Tuesday that they are working on an emergency appropriations bill, including other disaster relief, that will be considered when legislators return to Raleigh for a scheduled session on Oct. 9.

A different kind of hurricane

Many North Carolinians are familiar with hurricane damage when it strikes the Carolina coast. But when a storm of this magnitude carves a path of destruction through the mountains, it’s a completely different story.

“When you’re thinking about western North Carolina, there’s a lot of coves, there’s a lot of hollers, there’s a lot of valleys, a lot of places that only have one road in and out,” Prather explained. “We’ve got issues with rockslides and mudslides. Major roads were closed and inaccessible for a long time.”

Western North Carolina received rain for about two days before the hurricane hit. By the time Helene got to the mountains, much of the ground had already been saturated. Rivers and creeks were already rising before the storm system dropped between 10 and 30 inches of additional rain on the region.

“Just with the geography out here, water gets trapped. It also makes it more difficult for recovery and restoration efforts because it’s difficult for vehicles to get to the places where lines are down, where pipes are broken or roads washed out,” said Prather.

A lot of the damage was done to fiber optic cables. But clean drinking water is the top concern.

The city of Asheville and Buncombe County have opened water distribution sites, but some residents still can’t reach those locations.

“We’ve got to triage the more vulnerable communities, the communities that are cut off as well as our retirement communities and the shelters,” Prather said. “We had some major pipes in our water system completely, I mean, they’re gone.”

Extensive repairs — both underground and above ground — are necessary at water treatment facilities. There is currently not an estimated date for those repairs to be made.

Customers who do have water are being told to conserve their supply in preparation for loss of service and remember that a boil water advisory remains in effect.

Buncombe County Schools and Asheville City Schools are closed until further notice. At UNC Asheville, classes won’t resume until Oct. 28 at the earliest.

Prather praised the speed at which FEMA and the National Guard have set up an incident management team offering the region immense expertise.

“But we do just want to make sure that people realize that this is going to be a long recovery. This isn’t just needing a couple days of water and then we’re good. That’s really what we’re emphasizing to folks that this is an ongoing issue.”

Beyond water and food, more fuel is needed for emergency vehicles. There’s a growing need for secondary supplies: baby formula, diapers, insulin pens and other medical items.

Individuals interested in contributing to relief efforts should visit Hurricane Helene | NC DPS and scroll to the bottom of the page to the heading “How can you help?”