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    • The death toll in Buncombe County rises to 61
    Tennessee

    The death toll in Buncombe County rises to 61

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

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    In an official press conference on October 2nd at 4 p.m., Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said there is still a long way to go, but that efforts have been combined to ensure Western North Carolina recovers from the devastation caused by the Tropical Storm Helene recovered.

    While Pinder isn’t encouraging people to leave the country, she said she is encouraging people to do what they think is best, whether it’s leaving, staying or volunteering to help with recovery efforts .

    Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell said the city, county, state and federal governments are working in coordination as quickly as possible to meet everyone’s basic needs. “Our recovery efforts will take weeks, not days,” Campbell said. She added that FEMA has deployed special teams to facilitate the process in the coming weeks.

    Buncombe County confirmed an increase in deaths to 61

    Sheriff Quentin Miller said the confirmed death toll in Buncombe County had risen to 61 people as of Wednesday. That number is an increase of four from Tuesday afternoon.

    The identities of those who lost their lives have not been released as the county continues to contact affected families.

    Repair work on Buncombe’s water main is underway

    In Buncombe County and Asheville, thousands remain without water while repairs could take weeks despite progress. “We have made measurable progress in beginning repairs to the water system,” said Asheville Assistant City Manager Ben Woody. Nevertheless, the affected facilities were “catastrophically damaged” by the storm. Certain water plants that serve the area aren’t even accessible and work crews are building access roads to get around flooding, he said.

    Woody said staff have reached a milestone in restoring the Mills River plant and customers served by that plant should begin receiving water. “We are starting to ramp up production at this plant,” he said.

    Teams from cities across the state have stepped in to help rebuild water lines. “The return to drinking water… this process will be staggered and will require a lot of work. It is simply impossible to provide this community with a recovery timeline. “It will happen gradually,” Woody added.

    Police update on missing persons and health checks

    Asheville Police Chief Mike Lamb said police, along with help from 45 agencies across the state, are working around the clock to ensure public safety.

    “We are going through a missing persons list and contacting family members who have not had contact with their loved ones,” he said. There is a Google Form on the City of Asheville website that you can use to report someone missing and request a wellness check from police.

    Scammers prey on storm victims

    “Unfortunately, we also have scammers,” Lamb said. People go door to door fraudulently collecting donations and equipment. He encouraged residents to double-check if anyone comes to their home asking for donations.

    Fake contractors collect money upfront for repair projects, Lamb said. “If you feel something is wrong, please call 911 and report the situation so we can investigate,” he added.

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    Eira Gwyneth
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