Lake Lure Dam Overtopped as Tropical Storm Helene Devastates North Carolina

lake lure dam

As Tropical Storm Helene wanes, its fierce winds and relentless downpours continue to wreak havoc across the Southeastern United States, especially in North Carolina, where evacuation orders have been enacted for specific locales. Rutherford County’s Emergency Management announced early Friday that residents along certain thoroughfares must seek higher ground due to water levels overtopping the Lake Lure Dam.

In a 6 p.m. ET update on social media, emergency officials reported a decrease in water levels at the dam. Over 25 individuals have been rescued through swift water operations. Earlier, the department stated that water was “cresting the dam and cascading over the sidewalls,” and noted, “While structural supports have been compromised, the integrity of the dam wall remains intact.”

Evacuations have been mandated from the dam to Island Creek Road, with sirens sounding downstream. Emergency responders are working in conjunction with structural engineers, canvassing neighborhoods to ensure all residents are safely evacuated. Those displaced are currently being sheltered at Ingles in Lake Lure.

These developments follow alarming reports from Rutherford County Emergency Management regarding “catastrophic flows along the Broad River into Lake Lure,” which have resulted in severe flooding downstream, as indicated by the National Weather Service (NWS). A detailed list of designated evacuation routes is available on the Rutherford County Emergency Management Facebook page.

Officials have implored residents outside the evacuation zones to remain indoors, as many roads have turned hazardous, strewn with fallen trees and downed power lines. Flood warnings have been issued for numerous counties and municipalities in Western North Carolina, including Avery, Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes, and Boone.

In a tragic turn of events, a four-year-old child lost their life, and several others were injured in a vehicle accident in Catawba County on Thursday, coinciding with the outer bands of Helene impacting the region. In Charlotte, one person died and another was hospitalized when a tree fell on a home shortly after 5 a.m. Friday, as confirmed by the Charlotte Fire Department. “This was a storm-related death,” remarked Capt. John Lipcsak, a spokesperson for the department.

The NWS had previously informed the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the outer rain bands of Hurricane Helene were expected to reach Western North Carolina on Thursday, bringing an additional six to ten inches of rain along with powerful winds. Meteorologist Clay Chaney cautioned residents to heed warnings about the potential for “catastrophic, life-threatening flooding.”

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