WEAREMITCHELL.ORG

Here is a collection of organizations providing useful services and information. Click/tap to visit their websites.

• Pisgah Legal Services
  Legal help for repair and recovery
• NC 211
  Get Health & Human Services Info and Referrals
• NC Department of Health & Human Services Water Safety
  Guidance on ensuring water is safe & preventing waterborne disease or illness
• NC Department of Public Safety: Emergency Management
• NC Office of Governor Josh Stein
• NC State and Local Level Referrals
  Links to a variety of services for disaster survivors
• NC Disaster Relief Fund

Mitchell LTRG Receives United Way Grant

The Mitchell County Long Term Resilency Group is excited to announce it has received a $12,500 grant from the High Country United Way to help fund repair projects resulting from Hurricane Helene Damage.

“We are grateful to the the High Country United Way for supporting our organization and the work we are doing to help our community recovery,” said Stephanie Pitman, Executive Director of the MCLTRG. “These funds will go directly to repairs as residents continue to rebuild their lives following Hurricane Helene. There are so many still in need, and this support gives us the ability to provide assistance to families still working to provide safe housing.”

The Mitchell County LTRG is a nonprofit that was established in the wake of Hurricane Helene and focuses on ensuring that residents who’s homes were impacted by Helene have safe, sustainable drinking water and housing.

“High Country United Way and our Board of Directors are thrilled to award this unrestricted grant to the Mitchell County Long-Term Resilience Group. These funds can be used where they are needed most as the organization continues to grow and work diligently to ensure Hurricane Helene survivors throughout Mitchell County have their needs assessed and receive the critical support and resources necessary to rebuild, regain stability, and move toward full recovery.” said Rebecca Hall, High Country United Way, Executive Director

For more information about the Mitchell County LTRG office or to learn how to access recovery assistance, contact the organization at 828-660-0818 or visit their office at 410 S Mitchell Ave Bakersville. Office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Need Renew NC Help?

Renew NC now holds hours at the Yancey County Long-Term Recovery Group office located at 715 East Main Street in Burnsville, NC. They are available Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) Update

Work on Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) commenced in May and will be continuing through the summer.

FEMA has approved another 500 applications for PPDR in Mitchell County (with more to come) and contractors have begun work on cleaning up private properties throughout the county. There were over 1,000 requests filed by county residents last fall when the project began and processing these requests to be released for crews to perform has taken FEMA several months.

Unfortunately, new requests for PPDR in the county are not being accepted. Work will continue on those that have been submitted and approved through the North Carolina SMART Program who is managing the work. Mitchell County Government is not involved in any part of this process.

If you have questions or concerns about PPDR, please call the North Carolina SMART Program at 828-348-1405 or by email at NCEM-SMART@ncdps.gov.

Dealing with PTSD

One aspect of the recovery from Helene that is often overlooked is the mental health of all of us who went through the disaster. If you need help coping with what has happened, reach out to HOPE4NC (telephone 855-587-3463) for assistance.

Disaster Distress Helpline

Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, free counseling support. Counselors are multilingual, including Spanish. You can call or text (800) 985-5990 for assistance.

State Website for Recovery Information

The State of North Carolina has a website with updates on Helene Recovery efforts along with links to resources at wncrecovery.nc.gov.

Photos & Videos on Flickr

Mitchell County Government has a Flickr page which documents the destruction and recovery from Helene throughout the county. Images are availble both as a photo feed and grouped by community. This library is available to the general public and media who would like to use the assets for reports and projects. Photos should be credited to the Mitchell County, NC Government Flickr Account.

Contribute Images and Videos

If you have images and videos you would like to contribute, please email info@mitchellcountync.gov for more information on how to contribute.

• Access the Flickr Media Collection