We Are Mitchell

With our first taste of winter weather on the way, keeping warm becomes a bigger issue for our residents. County Fire Marshal Andrew Brewer takes a few minutes to remind you that it’s a good idea to check out your heating sources (and maybe even plan for backup ones) now before the cold weather arrives.

Our first winter weather event of the season will be arriving on Thursday as a strong cold front moves through the air, causing high winds that could down weakened trees and creating low temperatures with wind chill values that could cause problems with structures without proper heating capabilities. Jason Boyer, Chief Meteorologist with News 13 WLOS in Asheville joins us to talk about the incoming weather and preparations you should consider making now for the wind and cold temperatures.

One of the stalwarts of Lower Street (Locust Avenue) in Spruce Pine for the past 24 years has been David & Tricia Niven and DT’s Blue Ridge Java in the Wylie Building. One of the most shocking images from the flood was the total devastation of their business - the front windows blown out and washed away by the flood waters, along with all the contents of DT’s. On this program, we talk with David and Tricia and their daughter Taylor Trabold, who manages the business, about the shock of the destruction, the resilience of the community, and their plans to be a part of bringing Spruce Pine back from what is most likely the greatest catastrophe the town has ever known.

Local geologist Alex Glover joins us to talk about the changes Helene made to the geology of our region. From causing shutdowns of our mines and processing plants to major landslides and rerouting our rivers and streams, the storm massively changed the lay of the land in our region. Alex explains what happened and what things will be like going forward.

Sharon Rowland joins us to discuss the effects of Helene on businesses in Bakersville and Northern Mitchell County and how recovery efforts are underway to help get them back to normal.

Government representatives from Mitchell County, Bakersville, Spruce Pine, Mitchell County School officials, and utility representatives held a town hall meeting in Bakersville at the Bowman Middle School Auditorium. Here is the audio from that meeting.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, has been in our area for several weeks offering assistance to victims of Helene. Jann Tracey, a spokesperson for FEMA joins us to talk about the variety of resources available along with stressing that you have to apply to them to get help which you can do yourself at disaster assistance.gov or at the Disaster Recovery Center in Ledger which is open Monday to Saturday, 8 AM - 7 PM.

Gerard Ball with the North Carolina Department of Commerce talks about a special event for veterans of our area coming up on Wednesday, November 13 from 10 AM - 3 PM at the Burnsville Town Center. The Stand-Down brings together a variety of resources for veterans related to Helene recovery in one location and gives veterans the chance to get help or answers to questions. Both free breakfast and lunch will be served at the Stand-Down for attendees. The event is only open to veterans and their families. For more information, Call the Mitchell County Veterans Services Office at 828-688-2200 or contact by email at [email protected].

Something that has caused some controversy recently has been the announcement by Mitchell County Building Inspections that any temporary housing for residents still has to meet building codes established by the State of North Carolina. Andrew Brewer, who is an assistant to Mitchell County Building Inspector Dillon Phillips, explains why this is the case and that it is a state requirement, not something from local government.

There has been some confusion concerning the Burning Ban that is in place in Mitchell County. Fire Marshal Andrew Brewer joins us to explain how the ban works and why some places can have burning taking place.