The town of Black Mountain has water service again, in part due to help from Columbus County.<\/p>\n
Several teams of Columbus County personnel are providing support to the Emergency Operations Centers in Buncombe County and in Black Mountain.<\/p>\n
County Manager Eddie Madden said in an email this morning that Kevin Leonard, Director of the Association of County Commissioners, sent out a request to nearby jurisdictions to see if they had pipe to help repair the town\u2019s municipal water system.\u00a0More than 500 feet of pipe, along with connectors and other fittings to fulfill Black Mountain\u2019s request \u201cand got their water system back into service later that day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Madden said he spent much of the past week as the local government liaison for Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder.
\n\u201cShe and I have visited each of the municipalities and toured much of the damaged areas in their towns,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cBy making these connections and opening up the lines of communication, we have been able to get resources such as port-a-johns, shower trailers, additional law enforcement, equipment, supplies, and SpaceX Starlink technology to them very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Madden\u2019s initial team expects to cycle out this weekend. County assets are still being deployed to assist in storm damaged areas.<\/p>\n
A Level 1 Incident Management Team from the New York Fire Department arrived on Thursday.\u00a0 They, along with FEMA, and members from the New Hanover County Emergency Services Department will take over Incident Command in Buncombe County.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been quite an experience to work alongside some of the best and most highly trained people in the country,\u201d Madden said.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Emergency Management Director David Ransom arrived in Black Mountain with a large supply of donations.\u00a0 Fire Marshall Shannon Blackmon delivered the county\u2019s mobile shower unit to the Fire Training Center in Buncombe County so that staff and volunteers can take a hot shower.\u00a0 The county is also providing \u201ctactical support\u201d for Polk County.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have others who will be arriving next week,\u201d Madden said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Madden was scheduled to meet with the director of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and her staff to provide information to help mobilize temporary solutions and get service to some of the hardest hit parts of the county and region.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Meanwhile, madden said, county workers are still helping with the basic necessities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to place our team members in shelters and water stations,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThey will also be delivering meals and supplies before we return on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank our awesome staff for their quick response to the people of Buncombe and Polk counties,\u201d Madden said.\u00a0\u201cWe arrived here on the heels of the hurricane when we were needed the most.\u00a0 Our teams have helped in numerous ways and have been on the ground bringing some semblance of normalcy to communities in great despair.\u201d<\/p>\n
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