Debris removal begins along Pigeon River
Debris removal has begun along the Pigeon River in Haywood County. Kyle Perrotti photo
Equipment and personnel have arrived in Haywood County to begin removing debris at 22 sites along the Pigeon River.
The initial focus of the debris removal will be on things like downed trees, appliances and vehicles that, if dislodged and sent downstream, could cause further catastrophic damage.
With that in mind, it’s best for the county to begin the debris removal efforts as soon as possible. After all, catastrophic storms don’t consider when and where to hit — they simply happen.
At a county commission meeting last month, Joe Stanton, an assistant director with North Carolina Emergency Management, said that while Haywood is ahead of other areas going through this process, the county should still expedite when reasonably possible.
“As soon as we can get that done, the better off our citizens are and the faster recovery happens,” Stanton told the board.
The decision to begin the waterway debris removal was made at the commission meeting last month as the body voted to choose Southern Disaster Recovery to lead the effort with the help of local contractors who will be on the ground and in the waterways. The other choice for cleanup would have been the Army Corps of Engineers; however, commissioners expressed concerns with both the uncertain cost of using the Corps and also its responsiveness.
Related Items
Application period open for crop loss disaster assistance in 2024: Farmers urged to sign up by the May 4 deadline
Haywood Arts presents ‘Quilted Expressions’
‘Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me’ at HART
Pigeon Community ‘Storytellers Series’
Stanton told commissioners that the Army Corps of Engineers could take up to two more months to get assessments and reports before it could start work.
“If we chose Army Corps, it could take 30-60 days and then they could tell us, ‘no we don’t have the funding,’” said Commissioner Brandon Rodgers. Rodgers added that when the county reached out to the Army Corps of Engineers in October, less than a month after the storm, it didn’t respond quickly, perhaps because it had a lot on its plate due to the regional scope of the disaster. Rodgers opined that Haywood County may not have been big enough to take priority.
“SDR has been very responsive and open to answering our questions and meeting with us,” Rodgers said. “I can’t say the same for The Corps.”
Commissioners had praise for the job SDR had done during the initial debris cleanups following Tropical Storm Fred. SDR president Chip Patterson, who was born in Haywood County, recalled what he saw in 2021 as he spoke to the board.
Chip Patterson speaks to Haywood County Commissioners. From YouTube
“At the time, we all thought, ‘that’s probably as bad as it can get,’” Patterson said. “None of us could have anticipated that a few years later, we’d see a much larger, stronger storm.”
According to its website, SDR, based out of Greer, South Carolina, specializes in cleanup and recovery from all kinds of disasters across the country.
“For communities around the nation, SDR has been the first team called for disaster debris removal after the worst storms imaginable,” the website says. “We’ve helped communities and regions recover after hurricanes, ice storms, floods, wildfires and tornadoes. Our secret to making the impossible possible is the utilization of hands-on project management, exemplary safety practices and extraordinary work ethic,” it reads. With extensive disaster management experience and a team experienced in public works, emergency management, public safety and disaster debris removal, we approach every project with a high regard for communication, safety and professionalism rarely seen in the industry.
Up to this point, SDR and its subcontractors have already removed over 33,000 cubic yards of debris just from rights of way around Haywood County. The next phase, waterway removal, like right-of-way removal, is considered “emergency work.” The aim is to remove debris that could be washed downstream and cause further damage to buildings, bridges and other important infrastructure.
It has been determined that there are four waterways with significant enough debris to warrant emergency removal — the Pigeon River, the west fork of the Pigeon River, Hominy Creek and Jonathan Creek. The Pigeon River will be the first to see debris removals.
While Tropical Storm Fred brought flooding to parts of Haywood County in 2021, Helene caused widespread devastation across the region. Cory Vaillancourt photo
The assessment that led to the identification of the 22 debris removal sites — all of which FEMA must approve — along the Pigeon River was done with drones operated by another company. Considerations when identifying those sites included how far upstream they are from infrastructure. Once those sites were identified, SDR used GIF maps and property records to identify landowners who would need to be contacted to obtain a “right of entry,” basically permission to come onto the land and work. Patterson said that following Fred, only one property owner in the Cruso area denied SDR permission to work.
Now that work has begun, the process for debris processing is relatively simple: remove items, collect and transport items to a temporary processing site, sort and thin out debris and then take what’s left to a permanent spot. Equipment and personnel used for clearing waterways will vary based on the depth and width of the river, as well as the speed of the current, at each spot. Patterson said he expected to use 20-25 pieces of equipment for removal and about 10 trucks for hauling.
Once the sites along the Pigeon River are cleared, workers will tend to the other three waterways. After that, non-emergency debris removal will continue on public and private lands.
