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Last week, U.S. Sen. Chuck Edwards announced a new agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers around ongoing debris removal post-Helene. The agreement charts a more transparent path forward for the remainder of the debris removal process, which is still ongoing past the original deadline of June 1.
Businesses contracted through the Army Corps, many from out of state, have been responsible for the large majority of debris cleanup, though some communities have opted to work with state contractors instead. The federal contractor, AshBritt, employs a number of subcontractors in counties throughout Helene-impacted areas. The company has also been met with scrutiny and concern over past disaster response missions, such as in eastern Kentucky in 2022.
In response to community concerns, Edwards held two in-person meetings over the final week of May and the first week of June, with 30 concerned citizens and residents, who expressed grievances around the agencies’ lack of contact with property owners and the destruction of wildlife habitat by debris removal vehicles.
“As local and federal partners work to restore our waterways after flooding from Helene, it’s essential that we balance public safety with private property rights and environmental integrity,” said Edwards in a statement. “After seeing firsthand how improper debris removal is impacting private property and unnecessarily disturbing wildlife habitats, my office has worked with FEMA and USACE to come up with an action plan to improve this process moving forward.”
The agreement, according to the release, requires the Army Corps, contractors, and landowners to coordinate on debris removal if landowners mark their property with red flags. Counties make the final call on protecting infrastructure and property.
Hartwell Carson, the Clean Waters Director at MountainTrue, was at these meetings. Carson told BPR he feels encouraged.
“The model that they're using for cleanup is broken because it's based on volume,” Carson said, which incentivizes contractors to remove more than they need to. “So, I think this Edwards effort is a really good step forward, and hopefully we'll be looking at how to change the model in the future.”
Carson was concerned federal debris removal funding in places like Macon and Transylvania Counties would have been better used for another recovery need.
“That's an awful lot of money that we could have used for other things that we are in need of, like, you know, housing or fixing up our river access points,” he said.
In a release, Edwards encouraged property owners to clearly mark their property with a red flag. These flagged areas will go undisturbed until USACE and FEMA meet with the property owner, Edwards’ office said.
BPR asked Edwards’ office for the full agreement but was directed to the press release.
According Edwards’ website, information on FEMA and USACE’s upcoming debris removal efforts in Western North Carolina will be available, but more details have not yet been posted. Maps posted on Edwards’ website show the extent of needed debris removal still remaining, with locations clearly marked.
