SWANNANOA, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The cab of an 18-wheeler, stuck in the Swannanoa River since Hurricane Helene made its way through western North Carolina, is now finally out of the water.
Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with contractors and crews from Buncombe County Solid Waste Management, took part in the effort to get the vehicle removed.
The work is a part of large debris removal taking place in the area.
The Army Corps of Engineers has been taking part in various projects in Helene-affected areas for months, with much of the work focusing on right-of-way debris removal. The work has since shifted to large debris and removal work on private properties.
Colonel Brad Morgan with the Army Corps of Engineers noted that the process for getting some of the work done has involved a more intensive process behind the scenes than people realize, which involved pinpointing the areas and issues most in need.
“We had to get our contractors plan how-how do they plan to get into the waterways and execute this removal and retrieval of this debris,” said Col. Morgan on Wednesday’s cleanup. “Then, once we had that, then we can go through the environmental, historical permitting process to make sure that we’re not disturbing any cultural, historical properties, along the waterways as well as any type of endangered species.”
Col. Morgan noted the issues surrounding the terrain of western North Carolina have created an issue with response to some Helene-affected areas, but has not made it impossible to get those issues addressed.
As one official noted to Queen City News Wednesday, the perception that the response has been slow or inadequate does not equate with the work that has been done so far, and continues to be done, but the progress being seen is at a rate that is no faster or slower than any other disaster.
Residents in Swannanoa are aware of the issues, noting the extent of the damage in their town.
“There’s so much, and we get that,” said Kristen Hicks. “I mean, if you drive around, there’s just too much of a need.”
The work on removing the cab from the Swannanoa River was the latest step in the cleanup of that waterway. Residents noted other cleanup work has continued in that same area over the last couple of days, addressing other issues nearby in the river.
