ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — These are the live updates for Oct. 2 following the destruction of Hurricane Helene, which came through Western North Carolina Sept. 26-27. We will continue to update this story as new information comes to News 13 throughout the day.
10:50 A.M. – Asheville/Buncombe County school leaders ask staff to make contact
Asheville and Buncombe County School leaders say they’re still trying to make contact with several staff members.
Asheville City SchoolsSuperintendent Dr. Maggie Fehrman,Buncombe CountySuperintendent Dr. Rob Jackson and the Chancellor of A-B Tech Dr. John D. Gossett all shared similar messages during the county’s daily Helene update on Wednesday morning.
The school leaders all said they’ve been able to make contact with many staff members, but there are still some unaccounted for. School staff are asked to contact their principal or supervisor when possible.
Fehrman said the city’s school facilities suffered minimal damage. There was some flooding, but she said they would recover. She also shared that none of the city’s schools have water, and only half have power. The Asheville and Buncombe County school districts will remain closed for at least the week.
Gossett said A-B Tech, which is being used as a shelter in the aftermath of the storm, will not consider opening before Oct. 14. The date is not a hard deadline and depends on the condition of the area’s infrastructure at the time.
10 A.M. – Buncombe County Government press conference
Buncombe County leaders hold a press conference to update on Helene recovery efforts.
9 A.M. – Mellow Mushroom giving away free food
Mellow Mushroom in downtown Asheville will be serving food from noon to 4 p.m. today and will be giving away free pizzas.
Mellow Mushroom’s owner, Gerry Mahon, told News 13 he would give away $5,000 worth of pizza.
8:45 A.M. – Jackson County Public Schools to continue serving meals
Jackson County Public Schools said it has served more than 1,100 meals to the community.
In a news release, the school system said it will continue to serve meals daily from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 4 at Blue Ridge School, Smokey Mountain Elementary and Smoky Mountain High School.
8:35 A.M. – FEMA provides three ways to apply for assistance
FEMA posted on its website some valuable information for those suffering from the impacts of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina.
These are the three ways to apply for assistance:
- Online by visiting disasterassistance.gov
- Calling 1-800-621-3362
- Download and apply on the FEMA App
8 A.M. – The latest on the number of power outages
ReadyNC.gov updates the number of power outages each day, and on Oct. 2, the number of total outages in the state is 350,696.
Here are the outages broken down by counties as if 8 a.m. Oct. 2:
- Buncombe County: 97,830
- Henderson County: 47,718
- Burke County: 24,266
- Rutherford County: 22,876
- Cleveland County: 20,520
- McDowell County: 19,344
- Transylvania County: 17,987
- Polk County: 12,984
- Watauga County: 12,185
- Mitchell County: 11,463
- Yancey County: 11,436
- Haywood County: 7,850
- Madison County: 2,623
- Jackson County: 2,608
- Avery County: 986
Here are the numbers to report an outage:
- Duke Energy: 800-769-3766
- Duke Energy Progress: 800-419-6356
- Dominion Energy: 866-366-4357
- French Broad EMC: 828-649-2051
- Haywood EMC: 800-951-6088
- Rutherford EMC: 800-521-0920
7:30 A.M. – Spectrum publishes hot spot map
Spectrum hasn’t given a timetable of when service will be restored but said in an email to customers that workers are “actively assessing conditions in areas and closely monitoring the situation with local power authorities.”
It said workers will begin working to safely restore service as soon as conditions allow.
The email also gave customers a hot spot wi-fi map that is available athttps://www.spectrum.com/internet/wifi-access-points.
7:15 A.M. – Update from Haywood County Schools
A statement from Haywood County Schools: “After speaking with the North Carolina State Superintendent today, it seems probable that employees will be able to be paid during this state of emergency. As a result, Haywood County Schools will be closed for both staff and students for the remainder of the week. A 48-hour notice will be given prior to reopening of school for students and staff.”
Community resource centers will be open at both Jonathan Valley Elementary and Bethel Elementary from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 2. These centers will have non-perishable food and water. Hot meals will be available at no cost through curbside pickup for children 18 and under at these two locations (weekdays only).
7 A.M. – Free ice at Home Depot on Fairview Road
A truck delivered ice at Home Depot on Fairview Road in East Asheville early this morning. The store is located at 795 Fairview Road near the Oakley community.
The City of Asheville posted on social media that it was a large shipment of ice that the city wasn’t able to store.
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