Mudslide damage ‘unbelievable,’ insurance commissioner says

May 23--Heavy rains and flooding that washed through the area, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing a Polk County woman, show the need for flood insurance even in the moutains, Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said Tuesday.

Causey toured the area that afternoon, seeing the damage firsthand. He said his thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, and he gave his thanks to emergency crews that have been working around the clock since heavy rains inundated the Polk County Friday night.

"One big message I'd like to send to all residents in Western North Carolina is that this proves the need for flood insurance," Causey told reporters during a news conference at Harmon Field.

His office is here to help, he said. There's a lot of misinformation out there about federal flood insurance, but regardless of where people live, they can purchase flood insurance through the federal government.

"Normally people that live in the mountain areas of Western North Carolina do not see the need for flood insurance," he said.

Folks without the insurance will unfortunately be left to foot the bill, Causey said, as flooding isn't covered under homeowner's insurance.

Causey cited a FEMA statistic that 20 percent of flood claims come from areas not in a flood hazard zone.

"We hate to see people lose property, and when you lose property with no insurance, it hurts even worse," Causey said.

Polk County Emergency Management Director Bobby Alredge said at the most recent count, 40 homes were damaged by flooding and mudslides. The one death from a mudslide was the only injury reported.

Most of the affected structures are now unoccupied, he added, with some being summer homes. In other cases, residents are staying with family.

Every agency in the county was busy starting Friday night with some type of flooding call, he said, but when the call came for the mudslide on Highway 176 that knocked a home from its foundation, it took precedence.

Energency responders were unable to get into the building that night, he said, saying it was so unstable it was "popping and cracking."

The next morning, with the help of drone footage, a woman's body was located. Causey said he was impressed with the work of the drone pilots, and Alredge said it took at least a day's worth of work off the backs of responders.

Alredge applauded the assistance from outside agencies like the state Department of Transportation and the American Red Cross, which, along with local crews and the Polk County Sheriff's Office and county building inspectors, have gone door to door checking homes.

"We've just been blessed with all the support we've had," Alredge said.

As Causey, Alredge and others drove the streets Tuesday, residents were seen cleaning debris from yards buried in rocks and silt and inspecting driveways, culverts and retaining walls. One home had debris washed up to the back door, a basketball goal sticking out of several feet of dirt, shown in a photo Causey snapped.

On the tour, Causey saw washed-out roads and the area where the mudslide claimed its victim off Highway 176. Crews were still working to clear the road with large trackhoes, taking dump trucks full of silt and rocks to the Polk County transfer station.

"It's unbelievable the level of damage that has occurred in this one area of Polk County," Causey said. "It's so sad to know that a woman died right here on this spot," thinking she was in a safe space before the mudslide. The woman was outide the residence, escaping her home with her husband when the wall of mud hit.

Causey sent his thoughts and prayers to her family.

"I've never witnessed a level of damage where an entire whole mountainside has come down and gigantic boulders and trees, 200-year-old trees, just knocked out like toothpicks," he said.

Damage assessment

NCDOT estimates $5.5 million in necessary repairs, per a damage assessment Monday, with more roads left to assess once water recedes in Henderson County.

In Polk County, repairs are needed to at least a dozen roads, including Interstate 26 and US 176, which needs extensive repair, along with Holbert Cove Road, Green River Cove Road, Warrior Drive and Howard Gap Road.

While he tries to visit any site hit by a major event like this, Causey said the damage is "far more extensive than anything I had imagined." He noted tremendous damage as well to the rivers and streams in the area.

He said folks from his office always arrive at a scene immediately after the first responders to assess the situation, and two damage assessment teams and more were on-site over the weekend, going door to door as well.

"The message is that we work for the people; we're here to help," Causey said. The Office of the State Fire Marshal, also Causey, is on call 24/7 to assist counties, cities and towns where needed.

Asheville Regional Office Director April Riddle said DOI personnel will continue to work with counties affected, including Caldwell County, which also saw heavy flooding and damage.

Structural engineers and more will conduct assessments, and if there is enough damage covered by insurance, DOI will deploy a team to give information, she said.

With rain starting to fall again Tuesday afternoon, the next step will be determining what assistance the county may be able to receive from FEMA.

Polk County issued a state of emergency Friday night that is ongoing. Alredge said a damage assessment team from North Carolina Emergency Management will arrive Wednesday to perform a more in-depth assessment and determine whether the damage constitutes a state declaration of emergency, needed for FEMA assistance.

Marche Pittman, Polk County manager, said their initial assessment was to make sure residents who were sheltering in place had everything they needed: that their homes were fit to live in and that they had available food and water.

The state assessment will be more thorough, including determining what is covered under insurance.

He said the declaration would open much more opportunities for the county, including assistance for DOT, the county, homeowners and more.

"We just don't know until that assessment team does their job," Pittman said.

Alredge said the hope is to have a team available next week to answer the public's questions, and that it may be weeks until it's known whether any federal aid is on the way.

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