Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:
Question: Any idea why FEMA trailers are not here, and people are still living in tents?
My answer: I don’t know about you, but I was 100 percent expecting to see hundreds of these trailers being flown in beneath the ubiquitous Chinook helicopters we kept seeing after the flood. Disappointing.
Real answer: The first FEMA trailer was set to arrive in Buncombe this week, according to Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder, who addressed the topic at the daily Helene briefing on Thursday.
I’ve been checking with FEMA this week, and I can say the tent situation might be more complicated than you think. More on that in a minute, but let’s get to Pinder’s details offered Thursday.
“Right now we’re siting our first one,” Pinder said. “We’re working through the permitting process, and we have a homeowner who has land that is not in the floodway (where) we can place that house. So this is the first one that we’re working on getting placed this week.”
Pinder said FEMA has three more homes that have been manufactured and are on their way to Buncombe.
“So hopefully by the end of the next week, we will total out four homes that are now sited in Buncombe County,” Pinder said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will begin delivering emergency housing trailers to Buncombe County this week. These trailers are being staged in Hickory. // Photo courtesy FEMA
FEMA external affairs officer John Mills told me Wednesday that the FEMA homes are being staged in Hickory and that some would be arriving this week in Buncombe County.
“I think they are trying to begin helping survivors who are eligible for these temporary units to begin moving in this month, and even as soon as, I think, this week,” Mills said Wednesday.
Mills said he expects the number of these homes coming into the mountains to number “in the hundreds rather than the thousands, across western North Carolina.”
In the case of disasters like Helene, FEMA provides funds for families to help with housing, and that can include an array of choices to secure shelter.
“That can mean making repairs,” Mills said. “It can mean renting a new place to live or buying a new place to live with the money that FEMA is providing.”
Mills said the FEMA assistance is “designed to jump start someone’s recovery to give them a hand up to begin the recovery process.”
It will take the whole community, including charities and nonprofits, as well as private donations for people who’ve lost everything, to make sure everyone is housed.
As far as folks living in tents, multiple reasons could come into play. Some people have concerns about the security of their homes and want to be near the property. Some may want to use the FEMA funds for rebuilding and not spend it on hotels or other lodging.
Mills noted that survivors are not required to apply for FEMA disaster assistance, although the agency certainly encourages them to do so.
“We are committed to working with every household, every survivor, on a case by case basis,” Mills said. “And if someone is living in an unsafe situation, we encourage them to get in touch with us and let us know what their needs are, and we may be able to provide financial assistance so that someone can get the place to live temporarily. And we may also be able to make someone eligible to stay in a hotel at no cost, and we pay the hotel directly.”
Pinder explained that FEMA has a “Mass Care Team” that has been working individually with “every single person in the shelter to help address what specific needs they have.” As far as the people remaining in county shelters — 164 people as of Thursday — Pinder said the majority of them were previously unhoused.
“So they don’t have a home to go back to, or land that FEMA can help them to put a mobile home or travel trailer on that site at the moment,” Pinder said. “So we’re working through, ‘How do we address that population in our community?’”
Question: When we moved to Asheville in 2006, we lived just 1.2 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance on Old Charlotte Highway. I would drive what is called “The Commuter Route” every day going to work and coming home — going to work to help set my mind for the day and after work as a reward. I miss those days. As we are seeing portions of the BRP opening, what exactly is the damage from Hendersonville Road to Old Charlotte Highway; Old Charlotte Highway to Tunnel Road; and back at Hendersonville Road to Brevard Road? I dare say, these were the three most traveled routes inside Asheville.
My answer: For the life of me, I cannot understand why the nickname, “The BRP,” never caught on for the Parkway. I mean, you could actually say it, or burp it out. Person one: “What are you doing today?” Person two: “I’m just going up and driving the BRRRRRRPPPPP!” It’s genius.
Real answer: As fate would have it, the National Park Service issued a press release Nov. 6 on this very topic, noting that it had restored access to 11 miles of the Parkway within the Asheville corridor. The reopening spans from milepost 382.5, at U.S. 70 near the Folk Art Center, to milepost 393.6, at N.C. Route 191 near the North Carolina Arboretum, including the French Broad Overlook at milepost 393.8.
“With today’s opening, we have now restored access to over 310 miles of the Parkway,” Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout said in the release. “Incident teams and contractors have been working on this section for over a month, with large numbers of damaged trees, vast amounts of tree debris in the roadway, and heavy equipment at work simultaneously throughout the corridor.”
The Parkway spans 469 miles from Virginia through North Carolina.
The Asheville Visitor Center (milepost 384) has resumed year-round operations daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Folk Art Center (milepost 382) will resume operations on Saturday, Nov. 9.
The Park Service said trails in this section of the Parkway are open “but extreme caution is advised for trail users who may experience hazards resulting from landslides, downed or leaning trees, washouts, and other damage.”
Also, don’t park on the roadside in any location other than official, paved parking areas, as heavy equipment is still active in the area.
Helene left an enormous amount of debris and washouts on the parkway, including the Asheville section.
“Since storm recovery began, National Park Service staff and contractors have moved more than 350,000 cubic feet of storm debris from this 11-mile road segment,” the release states. “This volume of woody debris could fill nearly 150 shipping containers.”
The Park Service does not have projected opening dates for areas of the Parkway immediately north and south of the 11-mile road segment that opened Wednesday.
“Ongoing roadway and roadside damage evaluations, significant debris removal, and miles of technical hazard tree work remain north of U.S. 70 and south of State Route 191,” the release states. “The NPS will provide updates on those sections when additional information is available.”
Question: Like so many people, I am curious about how Explore Asheville will work with organizations that benefited from the Charlotte Concert for Carolina, which raised nearly $25 million. Is there some form of accountability to ensure that money is spent wisely and that it helps businesses, families, and individuals in need in our communities?
My answer: I’m pulling for it to go toward building more hotels.
Real answer: “All proceeds — estimated at more than $24.5 million — from Concert for Carolina are being split 50/50 between Luke Combs and Eric Church to administer to organizations of their choosing in support of relief efforts across the Carolinas and the Southeast,” Ashley Greenstein, spokesperson for Explore Asheville, said via email. “Combs’ portion is being distributed between Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC and Eblen Charities.”
Greenstein said Explore Asheville paid its $1 million sponsorship directly to the concert to then be split equally between these four charities.
“Church’s portion will be directed to his Chief Cares Foundation,” Greenstein said. “Church’s Chief Cares is focused on helping established charities and organizations that are well-managed and organized and capable of swiftly delivering aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene. In a video aired during the concert, Church committed to building 100 homes in Avery County.”
Update on the Always Asheville Fund: Last week I fielded a question about the Explore Asheville Always Asheville Fund, which the organization started to help small independent travel and hospitality businesses throughout Asheville and Buncombe County recover from Helene. A reader had asked why it was taking so long for Explore Asheville to field an application for the grants.
Greenstein’s explanation came in after the deadline, so I’m publishing it now.
She said Explore Asheville announced the new fund on Oct. 7, seeding it with $300,000 from their earned revenue budget.
“Through multiple fundraising efforts, we were able to grow the fund to $770,000 and counting within three weeks,” Greenstein said. “The Always Asheville fund application opened 3.5 weeks after it was announced. on Oct. 31, and is one of the few grant programs currently available for small, independent businesses.”
Explore Asheville is also administering the fund “through an abbreviated process, with the goal of beginning award disbursements before Thanksgiving.”
“We know it’s overwhelming for many businesses to navigate recovery, so we also created a list of available financial resources for businesses and individuals, which we shared in our board meeting last week and can be found at https://always.exploreasheville.com/business-resources,” Greenstein said.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.
SUMMARY: Jim Jenkins, a North Carolina baseball trailblazer and Negro Leagues player, exemplified resilience and excellence both on and off the field. His sons recall his superior skills—hitting, running, and catching—and how he faced challenges due to his skin color. Beyond baseball, Jenkins was a community father, teaching youths fundamentals and helping those in need. He shared a friendship with legend Hank Aaron, often attending Braves games with his family. His legacy endures through his children, who honor not just his athletic achievements but his kindness and humanity, inspiring future generations to carry on his impact.
James “Jim” Jenkins had a profound impact on the game of baseball as a trailblazer known in the Carolinas.
SUMMARY: A scientist reflecting on the politicization of science warns that ideological influence undermines objectivity, breeds mistrust, and hampers public understanding. The FY2026 budget proposal cut NIH funding by about 40%, saving taxpayers $18 billion, but only 1.5% of the total federal budget, while increasing defense spending by 13%. These cuts severely impact states like North Carolina, where science drives $2.4 billion in tax revenue and thousands of jobs. The cuts target indirect costs vital for research infrastructure and diversity efforts, mistakenly seen as ideological rather than essential scientific practices. The author calls for unity to prioritize facts over politics and protect scientific progress for societal and economic health.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-15 02:01:00
North Carolina’s U.S. House members voted along party lines on two Republican-backed bills: the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1), which cuts \$1.6 trillion in government spending, and the “Rescissions Act of 2025” (H.R. 4), which eliminates \$9.4 billion from entities like USAID and public broadcasting. Republicans called it a purge of waste, citing spending on drag shows and foreign projects. Democrats criticized the cuts as harmful and symbolic, calling the effort fiscally irresponsible. H.R. 1 passed 215-214; H.R. 4 passed 214-212. No Democrats supported either. A few Republicans broke ranks and voted against their party on each bill.
(The Center Square) – North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives were unwavering of party preference for two bills now awaiting finalization in the Senate.
Republicans who favored them say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, known also as House Resolution 1, slashed $1.6 trillion in waste, fraud and abuse of government systems. The Rescissions Act of 2025, known also as House Resolution 4, did away with $9.4 billion – less than six-tenths of 1% of the other legislation – in spending by the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Corp. for Public Broadcasting (PBS, NPR), and other entities.
Democrats against them say the Department of Government Efficiency made “heartless budget cuts” and was an “attack on the resources that North Carolinians were promised and that Congress has already appropriated.”
Republicans from North Carolina in favor of both were Reps. Dr. Greg Murphy, Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore.
Democrats against were Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.
Foxx said the surface was barely skimmed with cuts of “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at our southern border; $24,000 for a national spelling bee in Bosnia; $1.5 million to mobilize elderly, lesbian, transgender, nonbinary and intersex people to be involved in the Costa Rica political process; $20,000 for a drag show in Ecuador; and $32,000 for an LGBTQ comic book in Peru.”
Adams said, “While Elon Musk claimed he would cut $1 trillion from the federal government, the recissions package amounts to less than 1% of that. Meanwhile, House Republicans voted just last month to balloon the national debt by $3 trillion in their One Big Ugly Bill. It’s fiscal malpractice, not fiscal responsibility.”
House Resolution 1 passed 215-214 and House Resolution 4 went forward 214-212. Republican Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky were against the One Big Beautiful Bill and Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Michael Turner of Ohio were against the Rescissions Act.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article presents a straightforward report on the partisan positions and voting outcomes related to two specific bills, highlighting the contrasting views of Republicans and Democrats without using loaded or emotionally charged language. It neutrally conveys the Republicans’ framing of the bills as efforts to cut waste and reduce spending, alongside Democrats’ critique of those cuts as harmful and insufficient fiscal discipline. By providing direct quotes from representatives of both parties and clearly stating voting results, the content maintains factual reporting without promoting a particular ideological stance. The balanced presentation of arguments and absence of editorializing indicate a commitment to neutrality rather than an intentional partisan perspective.
