Last Updated on November 10, 2024 2:02 pm
Where we are… We are now 6 weeks out from the event. I still find myself looking at the calendar to be sure it hasn’t been longer, or that it’s really been that long. Both are difficult to believe for their own reasons; the amount of progress made and the amount still to be done.
Water and sewer services have been restored to roughly 90% of Town. While that has been a huge success, we still have 3 major areas without services. The Vistas and Highlands both remain without water and sewer services and Elkmont remains without water service. The projects to restore those areas are scheduled to begin this week. They collectively involve pump house repairs, culvert replacement, road construction, manhole installation and water and sewer line construction. These are all the same things that have been taking place throughout Town to get us where we are now. Thank you to Eggers Construction for their commitment to getting our utilities back online.
The repairs that are being made are considered by FEMA to be emergency in nature immediately following the event. As the emergency repairs end, we will see the list of permanent repairs grow. These are some of the repairs that need to be made that you can easily see, and they will be the repairs that take the longest to make. Permanent repairs will involve additional layers of decision making but be assured we will work that process as hard as we have for the repairs already made.
We continue to work with the staff from Insight with public assistance and disaster recovery along with our FEMA appointed Public Assistance team to make the most informed decisions we can going forward. Both groups are helping other parts of our extended community, and I am confident we will all benefit from these relationships.
We have seen an incredible amount of support from within our community and from those far away wishing to help. From this comes stories that will become the history of our Town. Of particular inspiration is the operation that grew out of need and volunteers at the Historic Banner Elk School. Something that started as a necessity to get bottled water to our citizens grew into a central distribution point for all things and all those in need. The center has not only helped those in need but also those who needed the sense of community it offered during this difficult time. The center has been an element of pride for all those working there as it has been a central part of our community’s rescue. As needs have changed over time and winter weather will be approaching, the center’s life will need to wind down in the coming weeks with much of what is distributed currently being stored outside. Avery County is now setting up a central distribution point in Newland. That will soon be the key point for those still in need along with the other community organizations that offered support to those in need prior to this event.
An interesting word that I have heard in recent weeks is normalcy. I have seen numerous things that I have tied to a sense of normalcy. From businesses starting to reopen, to our annual truck-or-treat on Halloween, to attending a birthday party for my wife, to kids going back to school, and to watching a parade of prospective students attending an open house at Lees-McRae this weekend. All these things, no matter how big or small, are steps in our recovery. In the days ahead I hope that everyone will look for those things that you can tie to your normalcy.
Thank you to all those that are helping to hold our community tight.
Rick Owen
Manager, Town of Banner Elk
