Good morning Franklin families,

It’s been a week since we awoke to a changed landscape. We are learning more about the devastation and loss and we’re learning a lot about the power of community. Everywhere, in every story, you see and hear the power of people working together to overcome challenges. When was the last time you had a political debate or even cared how the person across from you might vote? We’re in the immediate phase after a catastrophe where we have a very human need to connect and contribute. It’s powerful. It can be exhausting. Remember to take care of yourself to the extent you can. If you have cell service or connectivity, try NOT to scroll past all the photos of damage. Read the stories of people helping, of families rescued, of loved ones found. Let those lift you up. 

We are thankful that every staff member is safe. We are working to connect with every student. If you are able, please complete our survey to let us know how you are: Most people are safe. Some have lost everything. Two staff members and at least three (possibly four) families have lost their homes and nearly everything. If you know about available housing – please reach out! 

It has been amazing to see people at school these past few days. Thank you to everyone who has come out to volunteer, connect, check in. We will be open again today from 1 – 3 pm to provide free WIFI, power to charge devices, and supplies. We have water, canned foods, paper towels, diapers, some cleaning supplies, toilet paper, pet food,and more. We are open to the community. We ask that people just take what they need for a day or two so that we can get supplies to those who need it most. We’re working on a second shipment. The outside world has seen our pain and wants to help! If there are specific items you need – let us know. We can ask for those donations. 

Everyone wants to know when and how we will re-open.  The honest answer is we do not know. For now, Franklin will be closed until we have running water. We will provide 48 – 72 hours notice prior to re-opening. We will continue expanding some opportunities for connection and service together next week and will begin rolling out some learning resources for those who are able. 

There are many sources of information right now, but I’ve updated the list I provided earlier this week. We’ve heard questions about pharmacies and health care – please see what I was able to find below! There are also many restaurants offering free meals. I wasn’t able to find a good list, so word of mouth may be your best bet. I’ll keep looking for a good list! 

Community Resources 

Please see FEMA Application link and tips below! 

Pharmacies & Prescription

Emergency rules allow people to go to any open pharmacy with their prescription bottles to get a 30- or 90-day refill on their medications. You do not need to go to the typical place you go to fill your prescriptions. These rules also allow the pharmacy to refill the prescription even if there are no remaining refills indicated.  

These types of emergency refill procedures cannot be used to fill prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances which include pain medications containing hydrocodone or oxycodone and ADHD medications like Adderall and Ritalin. 

All health insurance plans that are licensed to operate in the state are legally responsible to allow and cover prescriptions that are otherwise being filled “too soon” by people who reside in an area that is subject to an emergency declaration.   

It is okay for someone other than the patient to pick up the prescription. Some medications may require the person picking up the medication to have a copy of the patient’s ID, but this is not the case for most medications. 

The North Carolina Board of Pharmacy is maintaining a list of pharmacies in western NC that are open. Click here to find the full  list – here are some:

• Mission Hospital’s Outpatient Pharmacy at 509 Biltmore Ave., Entrance #4, is open 24/7 to fill prescriptions. They close for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. daily. They are not filling prescriptions for controlled substances. :

• CVS/pharmacy  505 Smokey Park Highway, Asheville  
•  CVS/pharmacy, 324 Long Shoals Road, Asheville
•  Pinnacle Apothecary Candler, “Phone isn’t working currently, so come by. Hours M-F 10-4 until we resume power, then normal hrs M-F 8-6″ 
•  PSA Pharmacy/Associated Pharmacy Services, Inc., 2294 US Hwy 70, Swannanoa 

Health Care

• South Asheville Mercy Urgent Care(1833 Hendersonville Rd.) daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
• West Asheville Mercy Urgent Care (1201 Patton Ave.)
• Weaverville Mercy Urgent Care (61 Weaver Blvd.), and 
• Waynesville Mercy Urgent Care (124 Frazier St.), open 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Brevard location (22 Trust Ln.) open 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Food and Water Safety

Water 

• Only potable water should be used for drinking, food preparation, washing dishes and hands, brushing teeth, bathing, showering, or any other activity that could get water into your mouth or eyes. 
• Potable water includes bottled water or other water labeled as potable water.  
• If you are on municipal water and under a boil water advisory, you should boil your water for one minute. 
• If you are unable to boil your water, you can add 8 drops of bleach (5-9% concentration) to a gallon of water.  
• Drinking water should not be taken from creeks or streams. 
• Non-potable water from creeks, streams, from rain, may be used to flush toilets sparingly.  
• Do not use water from creeks and streams to wash your hands or to bathe.  
• Use body/baby wipes to wipe your hands and follow it with hand sanitizer. 

Food 

• Prepared food, lunch meat, milk products, and soft cheese that were unrefrigerated for more than 6 hours or left out of coolers should be discarded.  
• Raw meat products (except for seafood) that are cold to the touch and unspoiled may be consumed if thoroughly cooked. 
• Consumers with food safety related questions may reach out to Safe Plates at 919-515-9842 for guidance. 

BPR News: Up-to-date information online and on air. Some of the following info is from their website – please check their page for more info. 

Emergency Contact Numbers

• Please use 911 only for emergencies. They have been overloaded with calls. 
• Duke Energy: 1-800-419-6356 (to report outages call 1-800-543-5599 or text “OUT” to 57801) 
• NC Highway Patrol: 828-298-4252 
• Emergency Call Center: 828-356-2020 
• Free clean-up help: (844) 965-1386 – Crisis Cleanup
• Legal Aid (can help with FEMA applications and appeals): (866) 219-5262

Buncombe County

• Non-Emergency line: 828-250-6650
• NEW: One Buncombe Call Center at 1-828-250-6100, where residents can report storm damage, access resources, and find storm-related information.
• Missing Persons: To report your friend, family member, or loved one as missing or unaccounted for, you can click this link to provide information directly to emergency crews or call 828-820-2761. The form and more information is available here, provided by Buncombe County government. If you make contact with your loved one, you should notify the Family Assistance Center by email: buncombesearch@gmail.com.

Haywood County

• Canton Police: 828-648-2376 
• Waynesville Police: 828-456-5363 
• Maggie Valley Police: 828-926-0867 
• HEMC: 828-452-2281 
• Animal Control: 828-456-5338 
• Department of Social Services: 828-452-6620 
• Canton Water: 828-648-2376 
• Waynesville Water: 828-456-3706 
• Missing Persons: 828-452-6666 

Road Conditions: DriveNC.gov 

Water Distribution

Asheville City: 

• Pack Square: Each person will be provided 2 gallons of water per person, with a maximum of 5 gallons per family. Must bring your own containers. 
• Asheville Middle School, 211 S. French Broad – 1 case bottled water per family daily
• Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Road

Buncombe County

Some sites also have food:

• William W. Estes Elementary School – 275 Overlook Road, Asheville 
• Sand Hill Elementary – 154 Sand Hill School Road, Asheville (Please enter via Acton Circle) 
• North Windy Ridge Intermediate School – 20 Doan Road, Weaverville 
• Fairview Elementary School – 1355 Charlotte Highway, Fairview 
• Ingles Black Mountain – 550 NC-9, Black Mountain, NC 28711 (this site is operated by the Town of Black Mountain with support from County warehouse distribution)  
• Cane Creek Middle, 570 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fletcher   
• Leicester Elementary, 31 Gilbert Road, Leicester   

Henderson County Resource Hub Locations

• Etowah Elementary, 320 Etowah School Road Etowah, NC 28729
• Rugby Middle, 3345 Haywood Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28791
• East Henderson High, 150 Eagle Pride Dr, East Flat Rock, NC 28726
• North Henderson High, 35 Fruitland Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28792
• Mills River Town Hall, 124 Town Center Drive. Mills River, NC 28759
• Fletcher Town Hall, 300 Old Cane Creek Rd Fletcher, NC 28732

Free hot meals to go are served twice daily around noon and 5 p.m. at the following locations:

• Etowah Elementary, 320 Etowah School Road Etowah, NC 28729
• East Henderson High, 150 Eagle Pride Dr, East Flat Rock, NC 28726
• North Henderson High, 35 Fruitland Rd, Hendersonville, NC 28792
• Mills River Town Hall, 124 Town Center Drive. Mills River, NC 28759

Haywood County

The Pigeon Community Center at 450 Pigeon Street in Waynesville if offering power and water. Meals are also available beginning at 2pm. The site also has trash bags, pet food and charging stations.

Cellular Service and WIFI

• Verizon cellular satellite trailer | Family Justice Center, 35 Woodfin St.
• T-mobile cellular satellite trucks | Asheville Middle School, 211 S. French Broad Ave.; Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St.
• FSI! We have wifi that is accessible from the parking lot. FSI Helene Guests – no password.

FEMA Application Links & Tips

FEMA declared Individual Assistance for Hurricane Helene, which means you can apply for disaster assistance from FEMA to help offset your disaster-related expenses.

• Apply online at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ 
• Apply by telephone at (800) 621-3362.
• Download the FEMA weather app from Google PlayStore or the Apple Store and you can apply for assistance on the app and upload receipts.

The counties in the declaration are Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties as well as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Legal Aid Society is offering help with FEMA applications!  (866) 219-5262

The form has a few questions that are tricky. To avoid delay, consider the following advice an emergency management professional shared with me:

1. One of the questions that FEMA will ask when you register is “Do You Have Emergency Needs”? This means during your evacuation or since staying at home during the disaster, do you need help with Gas, Medication, Food (meals, water, had no power and everything spoils), Shelter (you are staying with friends, family or in a hotel); Clothing; or Durable Medical Equipment (oxygen, walkers, cane, glasses, all major equipment, etc). If this is true, say “YES” to this question. That will result in your receiving Displacement / Critical Needs Assistance, which is $750.
2. When asked if your home is/was accessible, answer “NO” if there was debris, tree branches, continued flooding, loss of power, damage or destruction that prevented you from staying there after Helene. This question is asking whether you can stay at your home or apartment and will trigger the ability for you to receive assistance to pay for hotels or provide funding to use while you stay with family or friends.
3. When asked if utilities are out, say “YES” if your utilities were out for a few days or more. This triggers assistance to stay somewhere other than your home or to buy fuel to power a generator.
4. When asked “Are you willing to relocate” say “YES” if you cannot live in your home due to damage, loss of power, etc. This question means you are willing to stay in a hotel or apartment temporarily, and triggers that funding for you. It is not asking if you are willing to move away from your home permanently.
5. If you bought or buy a generator, FEMA will reimburse you up to $629, but you must submit the receipt. If you bought a chainsaw, FEMA will reimburse you up to $219. Again, you need to provide the receipt. Save your receipts.

How to Help

BPR.org has a good list of ways to give and help right now. I’ve copied a few below; you can find their full list here: https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene

• MANNA Foodbank: Their warehouse was destroyed. They are offering mobile food banks including one at Enka Middle School from 4:30 – 6 pm today. Donate online
• Beloved Asheville: This nonprofit is mighty! They do good work all the time and they are on the ground and in the action right now. See how to get involved or donate on their website.