Piles of debris left behind by the raging floods of last weekend remain a concern to local officials.
The record high levels of water rushing at unprecedented speeds down the mountains of North Carolina into Tennessee pushed every dead log and most live trees along with it. As the water levels dropped or reached bridges, that debris began to accumulate. The force and weight of it was enough to help destroy several bridges, but much of it has been left behind in piles that are dozens of feet high in some cases.
Local officials are working to deal with that debris before any more heavy rains come, as they could threaten the bridges that remained standing or undo days of work that has been done to restore water and roads. To that end, a debris collection station has been set up, but officials are looking at burning the piles in place.
One example is at Jones Bridge, where a pile of logs and sticks 20′ high was left on the roadway. And while that debris was cleared to open the road, there remains a large pile on the upstream side of the roadway and bridge. So much remains in so many places, the only solution might be to burn it in piles. The transportation to a central location would require more trucks and heavy lifting equipment than is available. In addition, it is estimated that it would require a site over 100 acres to deal with.
Officials are keeping a wary eye on Hurricane Milton, which is in the Gulf of Mexico, but is expected to cross Florida and head out to sea. But even a moderate period of rain could cause many problems.
