Mayor of Spruce Pine NC Shares Details on Town’s Challenges After Hurricane Helene

By: Lauren Ramsey- Wise News Network

Spruce Pine, NC (WNN)- In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Spruce Pine, NC, is working hard to rebuild its damaged infrastructure and restore essential services. Spruce Pine Mayor Phillip Hise has been working tirelessly alongside local crews and external agencies to bring relief to the community. With water and sewer systems heavily impacted and the town’s resources stretched thin, Spruce Pine is slowly but surely rising from the devastation with the help of dedicated workers and support from neighboring areas.

A Hectic Three Weeks: Coping with Crisis

On October 17th, 2024 Mayor Hise described the overwhelming challenges the town faced in the wake of severe flooding. “Very hectic. It’s head spinning, destruction everywhere we look,” Hise said. With destruction visible throughout the community, the mayor stressed the difficulty in prioritizing recovery efforts amidst the chaos, stating, “It’s hard to prioritize because so much is so bad.”

Water Restoration: Progress Amidst Ruins

Mayor Hise shared positive news about water restoration, reporting that over 50% of the town’s customers now have access to water. “We probably got 50, maybe a little more than 50% of our town customers back on water,” he said. Crews are actively working to repair leaks and manage distribution, ensuring that more residents can regain access as quickly as possible. Hise explained their process: “We’re turning on certain sections of town where we have valves we can close and valves we can open, turn water on at those sections, find leaks, cut it back off, go back, fix the leaks and then try out sections of the town.”

Sewer System Struggles: A Long Road Ahead

While progress is being made with water services, the sewer system presents more complex challenges. Hise outlined plans to address the sewer issues, stating, “We’re planning on setting up two mobile sewer treatment plants in key areas, and then we’re still going to have areas that we’re just going to have to pump and haul from our pump stations or somewhere like that.” He added, “Our main interceptor line going to the plant is pretty much totally clogged with silt, debris, everything in the world; all that’s got to be cleaned up and opened up before we can ever turn anything to is planned.”

Unpredictable Weather: A Sudden Crisis

Mayor Hise reflected on the heavy rains that led to the flooding, explaining how the unexpected floods overwhelmed the town despite some precautionary measures. “We got it Thursday morning and we’d had about six, maybe seven inches of rain on Thursday morning, Wednesday and so forth,” he recalled. However, the scale of the flooding was unprecedented: “Nobody expected 30-40ft of water. And there’s no way you could have prepared for that.”

External Support: A Community United

The mayor expressed deep gratitude for the assistance provided by various agencies and engineering firms. “If I go to name and I’m amazed, but it’s just been so many,” Hise said, highlighting the extensive support. He specifically mentioned their engineering firm, WithersRavenel: “Our engineering firm, WithersRavenel, brought a lot of their expertise here. They’re designing the engineering. They brought in work crews that they normally work with. It’s been tremendous, We’re blessed to have the help we have.”

Power and Communication: Gradual Recovery

Hise also addressed the state of the town’s infrastructure, noting that power has been restored to most areas. However, communication was a major challenge in the immediate aftermath of the flood. “Communications for the first two weeks was a nightmare. I couldn’t tell where my guys were. I was worried about them,” Hise said. The introduction of Starlink technology has improved internet connectivity, particularly for the town hall and surrounding areas.

How to Help

For those wanting to assist with the recovery efforts, Mayor Hise encouraged donations to local nonprofits. “There’s a couple of nonprofits set up in our downtown. Spruce Pine, which used to be called Main Street, has got a fundraiser going on that you can donate to. And also the Mitchell County Development Corporation or Mitchell County Economic Development is a C3 nonprofit that you can donate to. That money will stay in Mitchell County,” Hise explained.

To contribute to the recovery efforts, you can donate to:

• Spruce Pine Downtown Fundraiser- https://gofund.me/600beb6c
• Mitchell County Development Corporation- https://www.mitchellcountydevelopmentfoundation.org/

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