MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. Debris pickup is continuing along Mitchell County roadsides. According to debris contractors, the process has been complicated by increased dump truck traffic and the fact that old piles are replaced by new as property owners continue to haul rubbish out of flooded areas.
Submitted photos. Kim Gunter harvests honey from her beehives. Gunter, a first-time beekeeper, lost all her hives to September flooding. Her last jar of honey will be one of several featured in a blind taste test contest today in Burnsville.
MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. Most of Spruce Pine’s wastewater customers are able to use their drains and toilets now. In the past, the town had asked customers to limit their use of the sewer system as wastewater was passing untreated into the North Toe River because of storm damage to the infrastructure.
MNJ Photo/Mariel Williams. The North Toe River ripped up miles of railroad track in Mitchell County, with significant damage in Spruce Pine and the more rural northern communities.
Photo / Steve Exum / Getty Images via Grist. Residents and business owners in Spruce Pine haul away some of the debris and mud that inundated downtown.