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November 2004                                                                            Volume 7 - Number 2

Hurricane Update...

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Hurricane Frances & Ivan in Western North Carolina and Issues in the Recovery

By Zhang lizhong

From early September to mid-September of 2004, Hurricane Frances and Ivan successively hit Asheville city and other parts of western North Carolina with severe winds and heavy rains, causing significant flooding and widespread damage.

Hurricane Frances alone caused rivers to overflow their banks and pushed mud and rocks down mountain sides. It left water shortage in Asheville and hundreds of people displaced. The National Weather Service said that was the most rain to hit the area since tropical Storm Jerry soaked the mountains in July 1995 (Associated Press).

Jeanne Robbins, hydrologist with the United States geological Survey, said that recent hurricane-related flooding in some communities likely reached 500-year levels (Citizen-Times.com).

The latest number from the city of Asheville showed that the two hurricanes damaged about 700 businesses and 800 homes. Total damage countywide from both storms is expected to be about 200 million (Citizen-Times.com).

Following Hurricane Frances, President Bush issued on September 10 a disaster declaration with 34 counties eligible for federal disaster assistance. According to FEMA and the North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management (CCPS-DEM), Frances disaster aid tops $6.5 million in North Carolina. The aid represents more than $3.6 million in housing assistance, $ 0.54 million in low-interest loans by the US Small Business Administration to homeowners and renters, and over $2.3 million in assistance for other needs not covered by insurance such as medical, dental, funeral, personal property, transportation, and moving and storage. FEMA has received applications for individual assistance from 4,398 residents (www.fema.com).

Similarly in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, a presidential disaster declaration was issued on September 18 with 29 counties eligible for federal disaster assistance. Applications for individual assistance have been received from 6,217 residents. Over $8.5 million has been disbursed in aid to victims of Hurricane Ivan. (www.fema.com).

The Red Cross made its contribution to the relief effort by providing shelters and fresh water to area residents. The floods contaminated many water systems and caused breaks in some water lines in Asheville and surrounding communities. Clean water remained an issue throughout the region. After the Frances, the Red Cross volunteers worked around-the-clock and distributed over 200,000 gallons of water by its 600 volunteers in four days (www.redcross.org).

Still, analysts believe that Frances and Ivan hold lessons for local and community leaders. Funding seems to be the key. The city of Asheville and Buncombe county leaders met recently to discuss damage assessments, recovery and the measures against future disasters from hurricane-related flooding. Asheville officials estimated that the city alone needs $14 million to buy out business and homeowners in floodplain who are interested in selling. Local and city officials expect federal and state funding will pay for cleanup costs (Citizen-Times.com).

One new issue concerns the updating of floodplain maps of western North Carolina, which were more than 20 years old. Yet, the debate in the state legislature continues on whether the state will pay to update the map (Citizen-Times.com).