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fvOL.S, NO. 46
S4O Million Damage To Private Property
Damage Estimate Soars
BY CAROLYN YUZIUK
*i had no idea Yancey
County was hit as bad as
this,” said Congressman La
mar Gudger Tuesday as he
viewed the devastation tor
rential rain and flood waters
had caused here.
That is just the problem
that Commissioner Carl Car
ter has been facing in his
BURNSVILLE,N.C. 28714
efforts to bring relief opera
tions into this area. Yancey
County officials had hoped for
a visit by Governor Jim Hunt
Monday as he toured flooded
areas by helicopter, but they
were disappointed. Hunt flew
back to Raleigh after making
brief stop at the Enka-Candler
and Hot Springs area. It is
hoped that he will mention
Yancey County in his request
for a disaster declaration from
President Carter.
Yancey County has barely
been mentioned in news
reports and is being over
looked by government offi
cials who are viewing'"the
flood damage. Commissioner
said Monday he had _
beer Ton the phone six times to
Raleigh and each time was
told someone would call him
back. “Nobody called back,”
he said.
Typical was the news
report on one TV station
in which a reporter mentioned
getting to Cane River in
Yancey County where the
bridge was out. He then went
back to Asheville and con-
Burnsville
Election
0 «
Results
Election returns for the
town of Burnsville are as
follows:
Mark Bennett 208
Rev. Ralph Jacks 221
Bob Helmle * 187
James Fox 159
Jim Anglin (write in) 69
Bob Young (write in) 9
David Mclntosh (write in) 6
The first three listed are
Mayor and Town Aldermen,
repectively.
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veyed this information as
though that was Yancey’s sole
disaster.
EMERGENCY meetings
At emergency meetings
held in the courthouse Mon
day and Tuesday, town and
county officials worked with
state and federal agencies to
find ways of getting imme
diate help to people who were
hardest hit. Already helping
in invaluable ways are mem
bers of the Yancey County
Rescue Squad, Radio Patrol,
Sheriff s Department, Fire
Department, Ambulance Ser
vice and National Guardsmen
(who are operating the heli
copter). Some of the men have
walked for miles to cover
areas 4-wheel drive vehicles
can’t reach, bringing out
families who were driven from
their homes or who need
medical attention. The heli
copter crew has transported at
least three emergency cases
to hospitals in Asheville.
Rescue and relief efforts are
still being carried out as
clean-up work begins.
PROPERTY DAMAGE
in Yancey County is estimated
at S4O million dollars” said
the Chairman of the County
Commissioners. Farm dam
age estimates already total
over three and a quarter
million dollars. The golf
course is another half million.
Power lines and telephone
lines are down in many
places. Westco and French
Broad EMC employees are
working round the clock to
restore service.
ROAD DAMAGE
Damage to highways and
secondary roads is monu
mental. Eighteen main brid
ges and more than 100 private
bridges are gone. At least
75% of the state secondary
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1977
roads in Yancey County have
been washed out and repairs
will take many months to
complete. Nearly every pri
■ vate road in the county has
sustained severe damage.
SCHOOL REPORT
Yancey County School
Superintendent Ed Hunter
stated that unless a tremen
dous amount of help is
forthcoming from the High
way Department, Yancey
Schools may even be out until
after the Thanksgiving Holi
days. Limited bus operations
will be started as soon as
.possible, said Hunter, but
there is no way to get the full
routes established until the
roads are fully restored.
Hopefully by this Friday or
Monday a more definite
announcement can be made,
he added. According to
Hunter , flood damage at
Clearmont School to furni
ture, doors, appliances, etc.
may amount to nearly $25
thousand. “Nearly everything
in the school has been moved
Reward Offered
The Yancey County Board
of Education is offering a one
hundred dollar cash reward
for information leading to the
arrest and conviction of the
person or persons involved in
a series of school break-ins
between October 21 and
October 30, 1977.
During the weekend of
October 21 the school bus
garage was entered. Entry
was gained by breaking a
window in the office ara. On
Tuesday night, October 25,
Burnsville Elementary School
was entered. Several doors
and cabinets were damaged
as a result of being forced
open with a metal object. On
15N
about 4nd knocked around by
flood waters, he stated. He
had received no word from
Bee Log School at that time.
The Mountain Heritage High
School sewer system is
washed out also, but the
superintendent stated that all
other school buildings have no
majordamage.
TOWN WATER SITUATION
Apparent leakage in the
Burnsville water system caus
ed the town to go into a state
of emergency with water
rationing Monday. Water is
being shut off for repair work
except for about 2 hours each
day and people are being
warned to bod water for
Repair
work is underway and k is
hoped the water situation will
be back, to normal within a
short time.
' DISASTER RELIEF
Congressman Gudger,
who was flown in by helicop
[Cont’d on page 7]
Thursday night, October 27,
the same school was entered
again with further damages
resulting. During the week
end of October 28 vandals
beat the outside door lock off
of Micaville Elementary
School, then forced iheir way
through the office door. On
Sunday night, October 30,
extensive damage was done
as several doors and filing
cabinets were forced open by
vandals who wrecked several
areas of the Mountain Heri
tage High School apparently
in search for money.
Information may be given
to the Sheriff s Department or
school officials.