Buncombe County’s Hurricane Helene briefings are held at 11 a.m. You can livestream the updates on the Buncombe County Government Facebook page.

Note: The new schedule for community briefings is Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Here’s what we know:

Wednesday, Dec. 4

Buncombe County to begin accepting applications for rental assistance

Beginning Thursday, Dec. 5 at 8 a.m., Buncombe County will begin accepting applications for its Helene Recovery Housing Assistance Grant, providing financial assistance for three months of rent, mortgage, or utility payments.

Funding will be made directly to landlords, mortgage companies, or utility providers.

To qualify, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Have resided in Buncombe County before Sept. 26, 2024.
Demonstrate financial hardship caused by Hurricane Helene.
Have a household income within 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

At its Tuesday, Nov. 19 meeting, Buncombe County Commissioners approved the allocation of ARPA funds to provide $1.2 million in funding for the grants.

Applications will close on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. All eligible applications received will be randomly ranked and will then be served in that order until the money runs out. Apply by visiting buncombecounty.org/publicassistance.

Reminder: Applications for rental assistance for individuals and families in the City of Asheville are available through the organizations below.

Eblen Charities — Apply by calling 828-255-3066 or submitting information online.
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church — Apply by visiting the church at 789 Merrimon Avenue, open 12 to 4 p.m. every day, or by calling 828-254-3274.

Access assistance from the Red Cross

Residents whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged can receive aid from the American Red Cross through its Financial Assistance Program. To access this aid, call 1-800-REDCROSS to speak with a case worker. The American Red Cross asks that people contact them about the program by Friday, Dec. 20.

Monday, Dec. 2

Get a free flu vaccine

Buncombe County’s Public Health Mobile Team will be providing free flu and other vaccines at the following locations this week:suggestion: i threw some bullets on the list below!

Monday, Dec. 2 — Bethel United Methodist Community Care Station and Sky Lanes Bowling Alley, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 3 — Bounty and Soul Market, 55 Adams Hill Rd.
Wednesday, Dec. 4 — A-B Tech Stronger Together Resource Fair, 340 Victoria Rd.

Damage repair program for landowners

Buncombe County landowners whose property sustained severe damage or erosion from Helene causing a threat to a structure, road, bridge, or other infrastructure could be eligible for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Emergency Watershed Protection Program. It helps fund repairs for damages including debris-clogged waterways and unstable streambanks.

Landowners interested in being evaluated can submit their information online or call Buncombe County Soil & Water Conservation at 828-250-4785 and provide their name, address, and a brief description of the damage. Note: While this program funds repairs, the timeline is generally 1 to 3 years.

Community care stations remain open in most impacted areas

Due to decreased demand, at the end of the day today, Dec. 2, the city and county water distribution sites + community care stations will close, with the exception of four community care stations in the most impacted areas.

Morgan Hill Baptist Church, 594 Barnardsville Hwy., Weaverville
Bethel United Methodist, 1050 Riceville Rd., Asheville
Owen Pool, 117 Stone Dr., Swannanoa
Fairview Ingles, 225 Charlotte Hwy. by Reynolds High School

Get connected with resources

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, A-B Tech is sponsoring the Stronger Together: Community Resource Fair to help connect community members with essential recovery resources. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., visit the Ferguson Auditorium at 340 Victoria Rd. to get help from 10+ organizations with applications for disaster relief, finding employment opportunities, and much more. The fair is free to attend and no registration is required.

FEMA Mobile DRC opens in Barnardsville

FEMA has set up a Mobile Disaster Recovery Center at the Barnardsville Fire Department Station 15 (100 Dillingham Rd.), open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. through Thursday, Dec. 5.

Reminder: The fixed Disaster Recovery Center is located in the Asheville Mall inside the former Gap store. Visit for help in applying for federal assistance and to get connected with additional resources.

Trash pickup transition coming soon

Buncombe County Solid Waste Director Dane Pedersen shared that as of Monday, Dec. 2, 347,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected. Pedersen also reminded current Waste Pro customers in the unincorporated areas of Buncombe County to sign up for service from FCC Environmental, the new trash pickup provider, if they haven't done so already.

Water billing resumes

At the onset of Hurricane Helene, the City of Asheville's Water Resources Department paused water billing until the system was fully restored. Now that the boil notice has been lifted, billing will resume.

An example of a City of Asheville water bill with doubled base fees. | Screenshot via Buncombe County

The “Water Consumption Charge” for water usage on all bills has been changed to $0 to encompass the period of nonpotable water. The combined utility statement includes services for water, sewer, stormwater, and sanitation — these charges are billed bimonthly, so six times per year. Due to the lapse in billing during storm recovery, the flat fees will be doubled to get the cycle back on track. Sewer Treatment will be charged at the regular rate since the Metropolitan Sewerage District has remained operational and is treating wastewater on a normal schedule.

Customers are encouraged to reach out to Water Customer Services at 828-251-1122 with billing questions or if additional time is needed to pay the bill. Payment plans will be available to customers who request them. Regular rates will resume beginning with the next billing cycle.

Street parking meter enforcement begins again

Beginning Monday, Dec. 2, on-street parking meter enforcement has resumed to "allow for more turnover in the spaces closest to our local businesses," according to city manager Debra Campbell.

Parking in city-owned garages continues to be free through Thursday, Jan. 2, but event parking fees will be charged at the Harrah's Cherokee Center garage.