Asheville mayor on what North Carolina needs as flooding recovery process begins

Hurricane Helene could turn out to be one of the deadliest hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S. More than 150 people are confirmed dead and hundreds more are still missing. Historic flooding nearly washed some towns away in western North Carolina. The city of Asheville is facing destroyed water lines, road closures and lack of basic supplies. Geoff Bennett spoke with Mayor Esther Manheimer.
Geoff Bennett:
Hurricane Helene is turning out to be one of the deadliest hurricanes to ever make landfall in the U.S. More than 150 people died and hundreds more are still unaccounted for. Over a million people still don’t have power, and the historic flooding nearly washed some small towns away in Western North Carolina.
In North Carolina, the city of Asheville is still reeling from destroyed water lines, road closures, and a lack of basic supplies.
Joining us now to discuss the dire situation there is Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer.
Thank you for being with us.
Esther Manheimer, Mayor of Asheville, North Carolina: Thank you. I’m glad to be here.
Geoff Bennett:
What are conditions there like right now? What are the most pressing challenges you’re facing?
Esther Manheimer:
First of all is that we don’t have water and power to most folks that are living in Asheville and the surrounding area, which is in Buncombe County.
And so the priority is to restore water and power. And, in the meantime, we have got to get resources to folks that need drinking water, food, and basic necessities for everyday life. So, that could be diapers, formula, all the things that you would think of that you need to live in your home.
That’s really our priority at this point. But the area that was devastated by the flooding is being inspected from top to bottom. I was just visiting with the FEMA folks that are set up here working with all the organizations from around the country that have come in to assist with the effort to sort through all of the damaged area, make sure that everyone is accounted for.
That is not complete yet.
Geoff Bennett:
How is the search-and-rescue operation progressing, given the challenges presented by impassable and destroyed, in some cases, roads and bridges?
Esther Manheimer:
It is difficult, but it’s amazing to see. I just got done seeing a lot of it in action.
And they have got ground crews everywhere. They have got all kinds of equipment in here. They’re trying to do their best to methodically move through the entire affected area and do a complete review of everything, first of all, to make sure they have accounted for everyone, but also look for dangerous hazards like leaks and so on and so forth, and then begin the tedious task of removing all the debris.
But we do have some areas that are completely impassable because of road outages. And so they have had to figure out how to get in and make sure they’re able to account for everyone.
And, on top of that, we had complete loss of communications. No one’s cell phone worked. It’s only today that we’re seeing some broad restoration of communication ability. So just simply trying to call someone who got landlocked from a road washout or a bridge washout was something that couldn’t be accomplished.
Geoff Bennett:
President Biden said that he’s directed FEMA to stay in Asheville until the situation is stabilized. Do you have what you need from the federal government and from the state government?
Esther Manheimer:
I would say that we do, but we need that effort to continue to grow and to stay constant.
The president has called me. We have had a conversation. He’s going to be here doing a flyover of our area tomorrow. We’re eager to have him see the damage firsthand, which you know can be much more helpful to understand the gravity of it than just seeing pictures and images.
So the governor has already been here on the ground. So we’re seeing that support. And, as I mentioned, I was just down at the — where FEMA is headquartered and took a look at what their operation looks like. And it is amazing, and folks from all over the country here helping in the effort.
Geoff Bennett:
Asheville is 300 miles from the coast. It’s thousands of feet above sea level. It’s not the kind of place that people would think would be affected by a hurricane.
Was the city adequately prepared for the flooding in advance of Hurricane Helene?
Esther Manheimer:
I don’t know how you would prepare for this kind of devastation. We have two major rivers that run through the city, the Swannanoa and the French Broad.
They flooded at historic highs, water levels never seen before. So, yes, I mean, we’re used to some flooding. We have rivers throughout our country. City and tributaries. So we have historically had flooding issues and flood damage, but nothing like this, nothing on this level.
And just looking at the water line on these damaged structures that I just saw firsthand they’re way above the flood stage for building code. So I know — no. The answer is no, because we have never in the history of — documented history of the city seen flood levels like this.
Geoff Bennett:
Anyone who spent time in Asheville knows it’s a haven for artists, craftspeople, entrepreneurs. It’s a real economic engine for Western North Carolina.
What does it mean to the state? And what’s it mean to you?
Esther Manheimer:
It’s devastating, in a word, for our city, for our region.
There are many people whose livelihoods depend on the ability to have folks travel here and dine in a restaurant, stay in our hotels and support our local economy.
And outside of tourism, we also have all kinds of other economies that are functioning here that are at a standstill, just at a complete standstill. Some of those, we will be able to ramp back up. Some of those have experienced so much damage that it’s going to be some time before they’re functional again.
Geoff Bennett:
Esther Manheimer is mayor of Asheville, North Carolina.
Thank you for joining us.
Esther Manheimer:
Thank you.
Geoff Bennett:
Our thoughts are certainly with you and all of the people affected by Helene.
Esther Manheimer:
Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it.