FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2025
Transylvania County Commissioners approve partnership with North Carolina Emergency Management’s SMART Program for remaining debris removal
Brevard, NC- Transylvania County Commissioners on July 14, 2025, to have the remaining waterway debris removal and private property and demolition removal (PPDR) completed in partnership with North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM), by participating in the new State Mission Assigned Recovery Task (SMART) Program. This will leave only technical assistance services from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Transylvania County.
“We have been hearing from our residents who applied for PPDR that they are frustrated with the lack of communication since they submitted their applications and struggling to move forward with recovery” said Commission Chairman Jason Chappell. “In a June multi-agency meeting, USACE let us know that a funding request had not yet been approved to complete the PPDR work in Transylvania. This prompted county leadership to explore alternatives if the funding did not get approved, resulting in identification of the SMART Program opportunity through NCEM. The board feels that this is the right fit for our county to assure that waterway debris is completed and that our residents waiting on PPDR start to see progress.” Chappell added.
USACE provided an update stating that funding had been released and was assigned for debris removal use in Transylvania County in a meeting with County Manager Jaime Laughter and Emergency Management Director Kevin Shook on July 7. USACE also confirmed that if the county chose to finish debris removal through the SMART program instead of through USACE contractors, that the assessments and technical support would continue.
“The recovery of western North Carolina remains a key priority of the State Emergency Response Team” said NCEM Director Will Ray. “We will continue to implement every tool we have available to expedite recovery and the SMART program is another solution for communities to support their debris removal needs with direct state support” added Director Ray.
FEMA and USACE teams were in the county last week to assess remaining waterway debris sites. NCEM will be using pre-positioned debris removal contracts to conduct debris removal from the sites deemed eligible. Demolition evaluations will take longer during the review step than other types of debris removal, due to additional process requirements requiring review to meet historic preservation guidelines, but are moving forward.
A contractor for USACE was in the county last spring to assist homeowners with PPDR applications, with a total of 412 applications being received. Following application, another USACE contractor would pick up eligible debris following review. USACE will continue to work with FEMA to review each packet for eligibility before handing off the applications to NCEM. NCEM will then use pre-positioned contractors for PPDR on the county’s behalf and will notify property owners at least 72 hours before work commences on private property.
Jerritt Gideon, SMART Program Coordinator with NCEM, assured commissioners in their meeting Monday night, that upon the execution of the SMART program’s memorandum of agreement, a notice to proceed would be issued so that work could be mobilized as quickly as possible. He also promised that communication and coordination with county leadership would be a priority. Information about the timeline for work and other operational plans will be shared in regular updates to keep county leaders and the public informed.