Last Updated on April 10, 2025 1:05 pm
Six months out from Helene, we require patience.
I have heard it said by some people six months has been long enough and they would like to see more progress, reality is, the event we experienced will not be recovered from that quickly, and for many, recovery will not end by simply making repairs.
Our community made unimaginable progress following the storm with opening of roads, the community resource center, and the restoration of water and sewer services. We are now in the midst of things moving a little slower. Four of the last six months have been winter and projects not considered emergency work require planning, permitting and approvals from other agencies to ensure reimbursement and maximize mitigation opportunities. This doesn’t mean things are not happening, it just means we are following the process.
As to the process, the Town has been working to complete a damage inventory of everything related to the storm. The inventory is a detailed documentation of damages which guides FEMA in inspections, determination of repairs and ultimately value of reimbursement. We meet bi-weekly with our FEMA and State representatives to review our progress, determine our next steps and determine how they can help us through the process. We continue to work with a consulting group, familiar with disaster recovery to help us with the process and the immense documentation and reporting that is required. To date the Town has funded approximately $2 million in storm-related expenses. We are fortunate that the Town Council has responsibly been maintaining reserves in our fund balances. These reserves allowed us to react quickly to these unexpected expenditures without waiting on other government funding or resources from other agencies.
We have submitted one request for funding reimbursement for $890,000 to FEMA that has been approved and is awaiting processing at the State level. We’ve also received a cash-flow loan from the State Treasury for just over $769,000. This is an interest-free loan to assist with cash flow during the FEMA reimbursement process.
We have hundreds of damages identified for repair. They include building and facility repairs, incomplete water and sewer line projects, stormwater collection system repairs, damaged culverts, bridge replacement and repairs, large culvert replacements at Silver Springs, Crooked Creek and Apple Orchard, numerous permanent shoulder repair and stabilization projects along with repaving and ditch line repairs, and sidewalk replacement. We have electrical, pump, and control systems related to the operation of water and sewer systems that also are being assessed. All these items involve detailed inspections from FEMA, repair cost analysis, environmental and historic preservation review and mitigation evaluation. Ultimately leading to the Town bidding, permitting and contracting for repairs.
While all those things are heavy on the staff’s minds, some of the repairs yet to be made and most obvious to the public are the Park and the Greenway. We fully understand and appreciate the importance of these facilities. They also offer some of the most difficult complexities for repairs. The Park has three distinct and unique components that are damaged.
One is what most people consider the Park, the green space, recreational area, playgrounds, shelters, dog park and ancillary items like picnic tables, trash cans, benches, and doggie pots. These repairs involve debris removal, grading, cleaning, seeding, removal and replacement of the playground fall zone mulch, new picnic tables, grills, benches, electrical, bridge, dog park, etc. This area also presents an opportunity to explore building back differently and the Town plans to consider this. We will plan for public input as we move forward.
The second component of the Park is the stormwater components that are not necessarily seen by the public as part of the Park but are integral in its rebuilding. There is a large, constructed wetland at the lower end of the park that detains storm water from an underground stormwater vault located beneath the parking lot at the Historic School property. It has been destroyed and will require complete reconstruction. There’s a smaller retention area below the lower park shelter, which has been filled with sediment. A third stormwater feature between Dogwood Road and Crooked Creek has been destroyed and its repair will impact that section of Greenway Trail leading to the park. All three must be rebuilt and rebuilding will create disruption to other parts of the park.
The third component is Shawneehaw Creek. There have been three different creek restoration projects that have been made to the creek over the last 15 plus years. These projects helped make it the special feature it was. Creek restoration is not typically something that would be a FEMA related expenditure and we could be waiting years in hopes of repairing the creek. However, we are working with FEMA to show the importance of the creek to our park and the integral part of our community that it was. It is our hope that these repairs can also be made. The importance of knowing what will happen to the creek will greatly affect other repairs made to the Park as a whole. So, while getting sections of the park repaired and back open, we are also working to plan for all three of these complex repairs to be made.
The Greenway Trail by the Mill Pond will be repaired/replaced. We are working through a mitigation process that would allow the Town to protect our water and sewer lines by “armoring” which would in effect widen the shoulder of the road by the creek. It is our hope that this widening would allow for a sidewalk or paved greenway along that area, as opposed to building back the wooden boardwalk. This approval process will take time, but we believe it would lead to a better option for that pedestrian connection.
Another important facility awaiting determination of repair is the police department. The police department was flooded, and the building sits in the floodplain. The situation requires special handling when trying to determine if or how we would receive assistance from FEMA. It requires us to do a detailed cost analysis of the renovation of the building, bringing the building up to codes and standards, and relocation of the building. We are currently working with a consultant to make these cost determinations and then work with FEMA and the State to determine how to move forward.
Debris pick up continues in our community and is still operating through a contract agreement Avery County has with the State. While the amount of debris continues to be staggering, the company has made substantial progress with the removal in Town. Private property debris removal has been approved by FEMA to assist individuals with removal of debris from their property. This includes all storm related debris. We encourage citizens to register for the service. The more debris we can have removed the safer our community will be.
Town staff is fully aware of the importance of our recovery to our community and the welcoming of residents and visitors back this summer. But with many projects starting and carrying out through the summer, I will emphasize the importance of patience.
Rick Owen
Manager, Town of Banner Elk
