Debris being removed from Wilkes streams

Wilkes EMS said a company called AshBritt is removing the debris under a contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

According to the report, the removal of this debris is funded entirely by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

AshBritt representatives are reaching out to property owners along affected waterways to request access for cleanup, EMS reported. The project is set to be completed by June 1, 2025.

The report said people in Wilkes should contact the Wilkes County Soil and Water Conservation District office in the Wilkes Agricultural Center for specific locations of debris removal.

A Wilkes Soil and Water Conservation District spokesman said Wednesday that debris removal that day was underway on portions of Moravian and Hunting creeks in Wilkes.

That office is helping with identification of where debris needs to be removed from streams.

The Wilkes Soil & Water Conservation District previously had a contract with the Wilkes Rescue Squad for removal of debris from the Yadkin River in central Wilkes.

According to its website, AshBritt “is a national turn-key rapid-response emergency management, logistics, and disaster response contractor.”

The website said AshBritt has conducted more than 400 disaster response missions and 30 special environmental projects and has been a contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 20 years.

According to news reports, AshBritt already has been engaged in removing Helene-related debris from streams elsewhere in western North Carolina under contracts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.