Mold Remediation in Winston-salem, NC

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

In the past two weeks, North Carolina has been hit by two historic flooding events, with Helene’s arrival Friday marking the latest in a series of major weather events to hit the state.

Helene brought devastating conditions to North Carolina, with the highest rainfall total being reported at 29.5 inches in Busick Raws, in Yancey County.

Flash flooding, falling trees, and rapidly rising water levels created life-threatening conditions, forcing authorities to conduct over 100 swift water rescues and evacuate numerous communities.“For western North Carolina, do not travel unless there is an emergency,” Gov. Roy Cooper warned earlier in the day Friday.

This is the worst flooding on record in western North Carolina—worse than the Great Flood of 1916.

Helene will go down in history as one of the worst storms to ever hit western North Carolina.

It’s a warning that officials were also giving to people across the state just two weeks ago, when a no-name tropical storm caused another historic flooding event in Southeastern North Carolina.

That storm, referred to as Potential Tropical Cyclone 8, was marked by an unprecedented 1,000-year flooding event in Carolina Beach, dropping over 18 inches of rain in 12 hours. The deluge led to extensive flash flooding, road closures, and stranded vehicles, prompting multiple water rescues by the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season continues through Nov. 30.

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Nearly 12,500 households in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties are projected to benefit from about $19 million in federal disaster relief grant funding.

The Biden administration said Thursday that Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved overall more than $200 million to about 121,000 households in the 39 counties declared eligible for Hurricane Helene disaster relief programs.

Federal assistance for individuals may include upfront funds to help with essential items, such as food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies and other emergency supplies.

A separate $192 million will help pay for debris removal and emergency protective measures in the affected counties that also included Forsyth, Surry and Yadkin counties.

Another FEMA effort is placing about 3,700 families currently residing in short-term rentals and hotels through its transitional sheltering assistance program into a more stable living situation. More than 6,700 Western N.C. households have checked into FEMA-funded hotels and lodging.

Individuals seeking disaster relief assistance are encouraged to apply as soon as they are able to at DisasterAssistance.gov, which FEMA said is the fastest way to get an application started.

Individuals can apply using the FEMA App, calling 800-621-3362 or going in person to a local Disaster Recovery Center. There are active centers in Boone, Jefferson and Sparta.

Separately, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and local health departments are working with lodging establishments impacted by Helene to help them reopen safely.

Hotels and motels are encouraged to submit emergency operations plans to their local health department.

“We are working quickly to help businesses get back on their feet following catastrophic damage left behind by Hurricane Helene,” state Health Secretary Kody Kinsley said in a statement.

“For either displaced families or tourism, helping hotels reopen is key to supporting recovery in the region.”

Lodging establishments must have an approved power and electricity source available and also need an approved water source for bathing, hand washing and laundry service.

Other important elements include:

* The facility is free from sewage or wastewater backing up or accumulating on the property

* The facility must be able to flush toilets or have a contingency plan for flushing toilets

* Any food or ice prepared using non-potable water will be discarded

* Water fixtures with a non-potable water source, like ice machines and water fountains, must be turned off with signs posted that water fixtures cannot be used

“This reopening guidance will help expedite the reopening of impacted businesses and help facilitate the process of business and economic recovery for the region during this important tourist season,” said Lynn Minges, president and chief executive of the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association.

The state Division of Public Health has launched a resource for hospitality operators to assist with environmental health and safety requirements.

Operators can reach out directly at EHprepardnessquestions@dhhs.nc.gov or call 919-707-5999.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

The city of Winston-Salem is set to discuss implementing parking changes for downtown in November. People we spoke with downtown said increasing paid parking would just be a disincentive to spend more time there.

The city's plan to change some parking rates from 25 cents to $1.50 is drastic, one person said.

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"Even just a hundred percent increase would be like 50 cents, so I wouldn't see it being reasonable going past more than a dollar, especially if you are going to take away the ability to pay with cash," Ashby Orebaugh, who frequents downtown, said.

Increased parking rates would also apply to current spaces that are free with a time limit. Public parking garages will retain the current hourly rate of $1 per hour according to their plan. One driver, Diane Wahn, said she visits her son who lives downtown and thinks the proposed plan makes the already-difficult parking even worse.

"I know someone who works at the Mexican restaurant that parks on the side there, and she just takes a chance not to get a ticket because there's nowhere for the people who work there to park there," Wahn said. "That's going to be really hard on them if they have to pay $1.50 an hour and they're working in a restaurant."

Modernized parking changes in the city's plan would streamline payment options from using meters to using the pay by phone app. Some areas of downtown currently have meters or pay stations, while other lots have pay-by-phone already implemented.

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"When you have to pay more for parking, you will spend less time downtown, you will spend less time in businesses, you will skip some entirely, like it is definitely going to hurt downtown, I feel like," Orebaugh said.

Parking fines are also expected to increase from $15 to $30. If approved next month, the pay-by-phone parking app will be rolled out in the spring of next year.

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) –Hotels in the Piedmont Triad are filling up with storm survivors from western North Carolina.

Many families who evacuated to Winston-Salem said it took them hours to navigate through the destruction, but they’re thankful to have a place to rest, take a shower and have access to food and cell service.

“They said, ‘If we can get out, get out,’” said Patrick Carter, who evacuated Asheville.

Leaving was a tough decision for Carter.

His family packed up and evacuated from Asheville. He said it was no longer safe.

“We had supplies, but once they ran out, we didn’t have any water or anything, so we were flushing … with the pool water. So it’s been kind of crazy,” Carter said.

They made it to a hotel in Winston-Salem on Monday.

It was supposed to be a nearly three-hour long drive, but they faced so many obstacles it took them nearly seven hours to get to Winston-Salem.

“It was just total destruction,” Carter said. “Everything was washed out. It was really hard to get out of the city because all the roads were just upended and closed.”

After arriving, Carter says they faced another challenge: Finding a place to stay.

“We’re going to stay in another place. It was totally booked … On the way over, every hotel we saw that we might be able to stay at … was just booked solid,” Carter said.

In Winston-Salem, the Hilton Garden Inn on Creekshire Way is fully booked. The majority of their guests are from western North Carolina.

FEMA has also secured rooms there.

Home 2 Suites on Marriott Crossing Way has extended stay rooms, and 80% of their rooms are booked. Hotel staff said many are evacuated families.

La Quinta Inn & Suites on Griffith Road is where Carter is now staying. It is 70% booked with the majority of the guests from western North Carolina.

He was able to find the hotel with the help of a friend living in Winston-Salem.

Carter is enjoying the comfort, but in his heart, he knows he won’t stay long. He’s getting supplies and will start to trek back home into the unknown.

“We’ve got to get these supplies to people. We have people that we know stayed behind that didn’t have anything, and they didn’t have a way to get out,” Carter said.

Carter plans to leave on Friday. Many major roads are reopening, so while he may face some obstacles his trip may be faster.

WINSTON-SALEM. N.C. (WGHP) — The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School district is sending a handful of people westward to assist Buncombe County Schools.

That’s the county where Asheville is and where the most fatalities have been reported in North Carolina due to Hurricane Helene.

They have 22,000 students and almost 4,000 staff members, and schools there are closed at least through this week but likely longer.

WS/FCS is hoping that with a little help, faculty and staff members can at least access some of the schools that are currently impossible to get to.

WSFCS Grounds Supervisor Thad Carter is one of the crewmen who will hit the road bright and early from Winston-Salem and travel west toward Asheville.

“The biggest struggle is finding the roads to go. All the highways are closed. We think we are going to go Highway 26,” Carter said.

Buncombe County, home to the city of Asheville, is among the hardest hit by Hurricane Helene. Roads were washed away, floodwaters rose above businesses and homes and at least 30 people lost their lives.

“I am expecting the worst,” Carter said.

Officials at WS/FCS connected with the operations team at BCS and learned they can’t even get to many of their campuses.

“We’re going to take our skid-steer and our mini-excavator to remove trees to get access to the school buildings,” Carter said.

“That team up there is taxed. It’s understaffed right now because a lot of people can’t get there. Some are dealing with their own carnage at home and are unable to respond and try to help,” Executive Director of Facilities at WS/FCS Justin Dyson said.

For Dyson, it’s also personal.

“I have a sister that lives in Mars Hill,” he said.

That’s just 15 miles from Asheville, and conditions are just as dire.

“A mile from their house, bridges are gone. Roads are gone,” Dyson said.

He says if his crew can make a difference in helping students get back to class, it’s another step toward recovery.

“Power, roads, schools, all components to putting things back together, and they’re all going to take time, but I don’t pretend to understand what we are sending our team into,” Dyson said.

“I felt like every bit of help we can give them … would be a good helping hand,” Carter said.

The crew members hauling the heavy equipment will leave Tuesday around 5 a.m.

The school district will be collecting water to load two school buses to take to Watauga County on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at their headquarters on Corporate Square Drive.