At a press conference Saturday morning, Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder acknowledged that many people in the area are without cell service and waiting anxiously to hear from loved ones.
“We beg you to please not call our 911 centers with questions," Pinder said.
The county plans to open a family center for people to connect. More information will be provided at the 4pm press conference today.
There are multiple mudslides in Buncombe County, EMS Director Taylor Jones said. He declined to answer if or how many fatalities have occurred.
“We have to notify loved ones and make sure we go through the process,” he said.
Our challenges with communication are affecting our ability to contact loved ones, Sheriff Quentin E. Miller said.
Reestablishing cell network connections will be “a slow process,” Jones said.
Water remains a top issue in the area. There is no water in Woodfin, and no estimated time for return of water services, Pinder said.
Jones said there will be water distribution centers throughout the area, but there is no specific timeline for the opening of those centers, he said.
He also asked residents to conserve gas usage.
“If you are safe at home, we urge you to stay at home,” Commissioner Brownie Newman said. Emergency crews trying to respond to people in need and electrical power workers trying to restore power are inhibited by other traffic on the highways, he said.
All rivers are still at major flood status.
Jones warned people to stay away from waterways. “I’m seeing kids playing near the rivers that are hazard material spillways now,” he said.
Washed out roadways and debris are making it difficult for responders to get to people in need.
“We are answering 4 times an hour what our normal call volume is,” Jones said. On Friday, the centers received about 30 times the typical call volume.
The county is operating a shelter at the Ag Center. All the people from the shelter at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville were moved to the Ag Center which has a special medical needs facility. The Ag Center has about 450 evacuees with a total potential capacity of 500 people. There are about 28 people in the special medical portion at present, Jones said.
The county plans to open another center at AB Tech later Satuday.
Swift water boat rescues were conducted overnight. More than 130 rescues were performed by local, state and federal crews.
All roads in Western North Carolina remain closed, he said. Interstates 40 and 26 are impassable in multiple locations.
The Buncombe County School Superintendent Ron Jackson said schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday.