Buncombe County prepares for winter storm more ice is forecasted

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ASHEVILLE – While the National Weather Service is still reviewing models as the region prepares for a winter storm, a Buncombe County spokesman said it’s a safe bet that there will be extremely cold temperatures and precipitation this weekend.

City, county and other area officials provided updates, safety tips and insights ahead of the storm at a briefing on Jan. 22 at 1 p.m.

County Manager Avril Pinder said early signs are that the storm is shifting and ice is more likely.

She said they are currently mainly worried about three issues:

• Hazardous driving conditions.

• Dangerously cold temperatures will continue into next week.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for January 24-26. Heavy mixed precipitation is expected, with total accumulations of sleet and snow up to 2 inches, and ice accumulations between three-tenths and three-quarters of an inch possible, according to the afternoon update.

“We are taking this storm seriously. Now is the time to prepare,” Pinder said.

Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency on Jan. 21.

Ryan Cole with Buncombe County Emergency Services said that with more ice forecast, “we need everyone to prepare for more potential power outages and stay off the road.”

An inch of ice in a remote area could have “catastrophic” effects on power lines or trees. Cole said the same could happen with a quarter-inch of ice.

“Today, tomorrow is the time to go to the grocery store and buy what you need and be prepared to last 72 hours,” he said. The storm is expected to hit the area around 9 a.m. on January 24, but conditions may change.

What about shelter?

The county is coordinating with the American Red Cross to staff and operate up to three shelters countywide if needed. The shelters will also serve as warming stations. The location has not yet been announced, but county spokesperson Lillian Govus said it would be announced Jan. 23 if launched.

Community paramedics and the Asheville Fire Department’s REST team will work to provide support to the city’s homeless population.

Winter shelters (available nightly) and Code Purple (activated in sub-freezing temperatures) can be found here:

• 91 New Leicester Motorway: Winter shelter; 40 beds for men. Owned by The Salvation Army and operated by Safe Shelter.

• Safe Shelter, 27 Balm Grove Ave.: Winter shelter; 10 beds for women.

• Transformation Village at ABCCM, 30 Olin Haven Way: Purple code; 35 beds for women and children.

• The Salvation Army, 204 Heywood Street: Code purple; 16 male beds.

• AHOPE at Homeward Bound, 19 N. Ann St.: Purple code; 20 beds suitable for couples and people with pets.

Hope 4NC

“We do want to acknowledge that it is, without a doubt, too early to come back to you and discuss a significant weather system approaching our area. We are still recovering physically and emotionally from Helen, and it’s hard not to revisit those feelings now,” Gous said.

For those experiencing stress, emotional fatigue, mental crisis or who need someone to talk to, she calls the Hope4NC helpline: 1-855-587-3463.

What’s Asheville’s water system like?

Water crews are filling all 37 storage tanks throughout the water system, which serves approximately 160,000 customers. Staffing has been increased at the city’s three water plants.

Department of Water Resources spokesman Clay Chandler said they are prepositioning needed equipment and will have at least two on-call staff on call to handle overnight and after-hours emergencies and direct maintenance crews.

To contact a water customer service representative, please call 828-251-1122.

Customers can prepare their home by:

• Wrap exposed pipes with insulation or heat tape.

• Drip at least one faucet at night.

• Disconnect outdoor water lines and cover outdoor faucets.

• Set the thermostat above 55 degrees.

• If your water meter is frozen, call customer service immediately.

Chandler said people can expect a vastly different response to the 2022-23 holiday water outages resulting in persistent cold weather affecting thousands of people.

He said the most important aspect of the event in terms of planning and response was emergency operations training.

“We know that that event over three years ago left a legacy of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Obviously, this is another cold weather event that we’re preparing for, but there’s something different about it this time,” Chandler said.

He said he didn’t expect it to be “so cold for that long” and that the response would be “more organized.” Following the winter outage, the city took steps to increase resiliency, including cold weather mitigation measures at the treatment plant and implementation of recommendations from an independent review committee that studied the incident.

All 182 water resources employees were on standby during the storm.

“It’s going to be work, eat, sleep until this thing is over,” Chandler said.

What’s in a Disaster Emergency Kit?

Cole said people should prepare disaster relief kits. These include:

• One gallon of water per person per household, enough for three to seven days.

• Mobile phone charging supplies.

• If you use oxygen, make additional arrangements immediately.

Please visit Ready.gov for more information.

This story will be updated.

Sarah Honosky is a city reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times, a USA TODAY Network affiliate. News tip? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or tweet @slhonosky.

This article originally appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times: Buncombe County is preparing for winter storm. what to know