ARDEN — Heaps of mangled metal roofing, wood patios, tires, clothing and a kitchen stove were among the debris volunteers found in a sweep of the French Broad River on Tuesday, Oct. 22, carried downstream by raging, storm-fueled waters.
Some debris remained impaled upon tree branches, suspended 20 feet above the ground — a reminder of the river’s unprecedented surge from Tropical Storm Helene Sept. 27.
MountainTrue volunteers gathered at the riverbank and listened to a briefing from French Broad Paddle Trail manager Jack Henderson before launching canoes and kayaks into the river and scouring the banks for debris.
Nearby, Firefighter Island briefly splits the river and normally serves as a campground maintained by MountainTrue. The island was littered with pieces of buildings and other material in the wake of Helene, and volunteers embarked to the island to ferry the debris back to shore.
The cleanup is part of the environmental nonprofit’s early push to restore recreational assets in storm-battered areas — not a “life or death” situation, Henderson said, “but it’s a big part of the community’s pride.”
Volunteers rally around French Broad River, ‘a unifying aspect of our region’
In the wake of the storms, MountainTrue assessed damage to river access points and other recreational infrastructure.
Stretches of river in Buncombe and Madison counties were hit especially hard, Henderson said.
“Here in the Southern Appalachians and Western North Carolina, we’ve got such a strong community, and people have jumped right away to help,” he said.
In addition to meeting humanitarian needs, like food and water, Henderson said there’s been great community pride and interest in working on the river, “a unifying aspect of our region.”
“I was definitely worried about the state of the rivers after the floods happened,” said Olivia Gray, a volunteer at Tuesday’s cleanup who previously worked with MountainTrue through the AmeriCorps program.
“I was doing mainly farmer outreach, surveying farmers to see what types of resources they need to mitigate weather impacts, which is pretty ironic,” she said. “I just wrapped that up two weeks prior to the storm.”
Janice Lessard joined Tuesday’s cleanup from two hours away, in Murphy, having volunteered with MountainTrue in years past.
“We feel so fortunate. The hurricane had a bead on Murphy, and it took a turn and came over here,” she said. “Whatever we can do to help others out, we’re glad to do.”
As debris was gathered ashore, volunteers teamed up to carry pieces of heavy material like sheet metal — folded over and tangled from the immense force of the flooding river — and collect it in a pile for pickup.
“You’ve got a lot of energy, that stress,” Lessard said, “and so you’ve got to do something physical to deal with it.”
Along with river cleanup comes focus on safety for volunteers
High waters carried debris fast and far, littering the French Broad River. But MountainTrue is also examining water quality issues along the waterway following Helene’s damage, and has been looking for lingering pollutants like E. coli, Henderson said.
Precautions are necessary for safe cleanups. Flooding can introduce human waste and other hazards to waterways, and coming into contact with contaminants can lead to infection.
Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is needed when working near flooded areas. MountainTrue volunteers were advised to wear protective gear, including gloves, boots, masks and eye protection, during Tuesday’s cleanup.
The organization published a list of PPE recommendations for volunteers, along with advice to shower immediately after cleanup and ensure up-to-date vaccination against tetanus.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recommends wearing “leather work gloves to protect your hands from cuts, or rubber gloves to prevent exposure to hazardous chemicals.”
“Practice good hygiene after contact with flood waters,” the department adds. “Make sure to clean your hands with soap and water before preparing food or eating.”
Some volunteer efforts are on hold as officials assess water quality and risks. Asheville GreenWorks, for one, is waiting for clear guidance from local health authorities on the safety of local waterways, and focusing on land cleanup in the meantime.
“Still a lot of unknowns,” said Eric Bradford, director of operations for the nonprofit. “Everybody is wearing respirators, rubber gloves … We’re being very cautious where we’re working.”
All of Asheville’s riverfront parks and greenways are closed “indefinitely,” according to an Oct. 18 news release from the city, as officials assess damage. Given the hazards and extent of damage, river recreation could take time to return.
“Sections of the river that you don’t see every day, that are between access points, I think those could be some of the hardest places to clean up,” Henderson added.
“It will take a lot longer, given the lack of visibility and the challenge to do so. But we’re happy to keep doing that work.”
River Arts District debris cleanup planned Oct. 24 in Asheville
MountainTrue is planning to have “many more” river cleanups in Western North Carolina in the wake of storm damage, Henderson said.
Another cleanup will take place in the River Arts District at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, meeting at the Patton Bridge parking lot. Additional volunteer opportunities will be posted on MountainTrue’s event calendar online and via social media.
Asheville GreenWorks also expects to host cleanup and recovery events as conditions in local waterways improve. Bradford said the organization has already heard from at least a thousand people in recent weeks offering to volunteer.Connor Giffin is an environmental journalist with the USA TODAY Network, reporting for The Citizen Times in the wake of Helene. Reach him directly at cgiffin@gannett.com or on X @byconnorgiffin.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Helene recovery: Debris cleanup along Western North Carolina river
