Flood debris is slowly being cleared

Vicki Hyatt, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·2 min read

Sep. 24—Photographs don't really show the volume of flood debris that has already been picked up and piled in the long-closed county landfill on Dutch Cove Road in Canton.

It's hard to capture both the height and breadth of the scene in a two-dimensional photograph, or fathom the losses associated with the estimated 25,000 cubic yards of flood debris.

Kris Boyd, director of operations for Haywood County, said the debris being hauled to a single location where it can be sorted is from across the county — Cruso, Dutch Cove, the old Asheville Highway, Bethel, Canton and Clyde.

Both Canton and Clyde have separate contracts with Southern Disaster Recovery, LLC, the regional company that is prequalified through FEMA to collect disaster debris, and tonnage from those towns isn't included in the county's total, Boyd said.

According to the contract, SDR has 90 days to pick up the debris that has been piled just off the roadsides where large trucks with grapple hooks can pick them up.

Once transported to the Dutch Cove site, the debris is separated into categories such as vegetative debris, metals, white goods, construction and demolition material and tires. From there, SDR will grind up tree limbs and stumps, recycle what can be recycled and take the rest of the separated waste to the White Oak Landfill.

"Our contract recovers removal, separation and disposal," Boyd said of the county's $4 million debris removal contract with SDR. "If they can capture recyclables, we want them to do that."

Other debris

Besides the piles and piles of flood debris that's been stacked along the roadsides, Boyd said the county is well aware of debris still in the waterways and on private property where individuals have no ability to even move it to the roadside.

County Manager Bryant Morehead said negotiations are underway with the state Emergency Management and FEMA to get authorization to pick up debris on private property.

"People don't have the means to get that debris out," he said. "The only way the community can bounce back from a public safety, public health and economic standpoint is to pick up debris on private property."

Debris removal in the rivers and streams is an entirely different process with a different set of approvals, Boyd said.

The county is working with the USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Service based in the agricultural service center on Raccoon Road on this issue.

Before any removal can happen, it is necessary to assess and document the damages, Boyd said, and then coordinate with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Boyd said all levels of government are working as fast as possible to address the flooding aftermath.

"State folks and county folks are aware of issues and concerns, and we're doing everything we can within the parameters of law to help our residents," Boyd said. "We're committed to helping them through the process."