According to the agency, Buncombe County suffered 42 deaths, the highest toll of the 21 counties listed. Yancey County had the next highest, with 11, followed by seven in Henderson County.
Superintendent Maggie Fehrman told the Asheville City Board of Education at its meeting Oct. 14 that she still wants to explore drilling wells to increase the district’s resiliency, but is shifting her focus to obtaining enough drinking water to reopen schools by Monday, Oct. 28.
Asheville and other areas in Western North Carolina already have largely unaffordable housing markets for many residents, and Helene threatens to make the problem worse.
Asheville restaurants can apply to reopen for business while they are without water due to Tropical Storm Helene. But some say the process of setting up a temporary water source is a nonstarter.
