Live Updates: Effects of Tropical Storm Helene felt throughout NC

Updated 9/27, 2:45 p.m.

Officials in Rutherford County are watching Lake Lure Dam because water overtopped the entire length of the dam.

There is some erosion on one side of the dam caused by the overtopping, state Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson Kat Russell said Friday.

Town officials are monitoring the erosion, she said.

The lake, which flows into the Broad River, was created nearly 100 years ago. The dam is listed as 480 feet (146 meters) long and about 120 feet (36.6 meters) high.

The dam is “doing what it’s supposed to do, but the water levels are just too high,” Russell said.

Downstream communities have been made aware of the overtopping but have been told they would have several hours to alert residents to their own evacuations if needed, Russell said. 

In the High Country, major waterways in the area are at flood-stage level.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the South Fork of the New River near Jefferson is at 15 feet, which is near major flood level. The Yadkin River at Elkin is at 24 feet, which is flood level there.

Widespread flooding is reported throughout Boone and evacuations are taking place, police say.

The town is under a boil water advisory following a water main break that dropped the water pressure areawide, town officials say. Customers should boil water for any human use including drinking, making ice, washing dishes and food preparation.

In Buncombe County, roads were washed out preventing first responders from making it to some calls, Buncombe County Assistant Emergency Services Director Ryan Cole said.

That included a mudslide that involved four homes and left an undetermined number of people unaccounted for, Cole said.

“This is the most significant natural disaster that anyone of us has ever seen in western North Carolina,” Cole said.

Forecasters were comparing it to the benchmark flood of 1916 which killed 80 people, damaged dozens of miles of railroad tracks and isolated Asheville and other mountain cities for days.

Several rivers were above or near record crests and floodwaters were not expected to recede until at least Monday.

In Biltmore Village, just outside the famous Biltmore mansion, swiftly moving water from the overflowing Swannanoa River reached above the hoods of vehicles. It was a scene emergency officials expected in many other places as all the rain that fell has to flow downhill to the sea.

“It’s terrible. I don’t know if I will ever see anything like this again,” said Spencer Tate Andrews who came down to the area to see the flooding. “Glad I got to see it but at the same time its terrible and its going to affect a lot of people and businesses.”

Updated 9/27, 1:30 p.m.

Governor Roy Cooper says Hurricane Helene caused the deaths of two North Carolina residents earlier today. 

At a press conference this morning, the governor said one person died in a collision on a flooded roadway in Catawba County. Another was killed after a tree fell on a Charlotte home. 

Cooper said more than 100 swift-water rescues had occurred as Helene's rains caused massive flooding Friday, particularly in the state's western section. He said flash floods are threatening lives and are creating numerous landslides.

“The priority now is saving lives,” Cooper said, begging people to stay off the roads unless they were seeking higher ground. “With the rain that they already had been experiencing before Helene’s arrival, this is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of western North Carolina,” Cooper said.

The storm has now been blamed for at least 18 deaths in Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. 

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday that at least 11 people in his state have been killed and dozens are still trapped in homes damaged by Helene.

Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed two deaths in Florida. One person was hit by a falling sign in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood and another was killed when a tree fell onto a home in Dixie County.

South Carolina officials confirmed that two people were killed when trees fell on their homes in Anderson County, South Carolina.

Updated 9/27, 1:05 p.m.

Appalachian State's home football game against Liberty in Boone scheduled for Saturday was canceled because of the impacts of severe weather on the area from Tropical Storm Helene, the school announced Friday.

Heavy rains in the North Carolina mountains brought flooding to Boone and the town was placed under a state of emergency Thursday.

The nonconference game was scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. EDT kickoff and will not be rescheduled, the school said.

App State also canceled a home field hockey game against Bellarmine that was slated for Friday.

Updated 9/27, 1:03 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga, and Wilkes counties urging people in low-lying areas — including Appalachian State University — to seek higher ground.

The weather service describes the current situation as extremely dangerous and life-threatening. 

People should not travel unless moving to safer ground.

Watauga Emergency Services is urging residents to be patient as many roads are impassable and power is offline in most areas. They say 9-1-1 in Watauga County should only be used for imminent threat to life situations. Delays are expected.

According to U.S. Geological Survey data, the Yadkin River at Elkin is already at flood-stage level.

Updated 9/27, 1:02 p.m.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation says all roads in Western North Carolina are now closed.

🚨 All roads in Western NC should be considered closed 🚨

Do not travel unless an emergency or seeking higher ground
Do not drive through standing water
Respect barricades and road closures#TurnAroundDontDrown #Helene #ncwx pic.twitter.com/gjfrZJBPHm

— NCDOT (@NCDOT) September 27, 2024

 

Updated 9/27, 12:48 p.m.

In a briefing Friday morning, Gov. Roy Cooper told residents of Western North Carolina not to travel.

The state has four FEMA search and rescue teams with a request for more support submitted.

The National Guard has deployed more than 380 members to help with emergency management.

Teams from other states, including New York, Illinois, Indiana and Delaware, traveled to North Carolina to help with the effort.

Blue Ridge Public Radio asked the Governor about the challenges of 911 calls in Western North Carolina that are not receiving responses.

"We know the people in Western North Carolina, some of them are facing great danger from the flooding at this point, and emergency responders can sometimes be prohibited from going into places because of the danger themselves," Cooper said.

State Emergency Management Director Will Ray said there is degradation of cell service in Western North Carolina.

Some 911 centers are beginning to initiate fallback plans to allow unaffected centers to receive calls from impacted areas, he said.

-Copyright Blue Ridge Public Radio 2024

Updated 9/27, 12:42 p.m.

A landslide has been reported in Asheville, prompting road closures.

All lanes of I-40 at Old Fort Mountain east of Ridgecrest are closed due to a landslide

— Buncombe County Gov (@buncombeGov) September 27, 2024

Updated 9/27, 11:37 a.m.

High winds and heavy rains are battering the North Carolina mountains including the High Country.

David Long has lived in the Boone area for more than 60 years. He says the current conditions remind him of those from Hurricane Hugo 35 years ago — and are probably worse.

He says the creeks have already overflowed and the sustained winds are more than 20 miles per hour with gusts even higher.

 “It’s a combination of the torrential rain and the wind — it’s just a one-two punch that’s just really killing us,” says Long.

Long says the storm has created a community of hunkered-down folks taking care of one another for now.

The ground in the Blowing Rock area was already soaked due to previous rains even before the storm moved in, creating risks for falling trees. The National Weather Service is also warning mountain residents about the increased risk of landslides. Two people died in a mudslide during severe weather in Watauga County in 2018.

Updated 9/27, 10:01 a.m.

Power outages continue to sweep across western N.C. Currently just over 45% of Watauga County residents are without electricity. In Ashe County, 66% are without power, 54% in Caldwell County, and nearly 40% in Alleghany County. 

Updated 9/27, 8:15 a.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch until 6 p.m. Friday for Alamance, Davidson, Guilford and Forsyth counties. Other central N.C. counties under watch include Durham, Chatham and Orange counties.

Updated 9/27, 7:45 a.m.

The National Weather Service says Tropical Storm Helene is causing life-threatening flash flooding in North Carolina mountain counties. 

The storm made landfall Thursday night in northwest Florida as a category 4 hurricane. It then made its way up through Georgia as a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 miles per hour.

In North Carolina, more than 360,000 customers are without power, according to Ready NC. 

The National Weather Service says people in the mountains can expect rain reaching an inch or two per hour. Many areas have already received up to 10 inches. 

Significant life-threatening flooding is occurring, including homes and businesses. The weather service says the risk of dangerous landslides is increasing.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation warns that dangerous conditions exist on roadways, particularly west of Interstate 77. The agency urges drivers that have to be on the road to slow down and not drive through standing water or around barricades.

Updated 9/26, 9:15 p.m.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Raleigh held a press conference late Thursday afternoon. NWS says the main hazards and impacts for central North Carolina will be from flash flooding, downed trees and power outages. They estimate the worst of the weather will move through central N.C. between sunrise Friday through about 2-3 p.m. Friday.

The rain band that is expected to move across the state, particularly during the morning hours Friday, may produce several tornadoes. An isolated tornado can’t be ruled out Thursday evening, but the main tornado threat will still be Friday morning.

River flooding of moderate and higher potential should be mainly confined to main stem rivers west of the Yadkin River basin, with minor river flooding possible east of the Yadkin River basin.

According to Ready NC, Iredell County has just over 3,700 power outages and Guilford County has nearly 3,000.

Flood warnings are in effect for Alleghany and Wilkes counties until 8:45 p.m. Friday. 

Updated 9/26, 2:30 p.m.

Local school districts in the Piedmont and High Country are closing as Hurricane Helene moves through North Carolina.

Watauga County Schools announced plans to close Thursday and Friday due to flooding, road closures and additional predicted heavy rainfall. The district says the Friday closure will be made up later in the school year.

In the Triad, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and Guilford County Schools both announced they would be closed on Friday too. WS/FCS officials say that all extracurricular activities will be canceled as well in order for staff to assess facility conditions.

Surry County and Davie County Schools opted to make Friday a remote learning day. Students should check online for assignments and other communications from their teachers.

State officials say Helene could create treacherous travel conditions and power outages in the mountains and much of the Piedmont.

Updated 9/26, 2:00 p.m.

While Hurricane Helene is expected to weaken as it moves inland after making landfall Thursday evening, forecasters say damaging winds are expected to extend to the southern Appalachian Mountains, where landslides are possible.

The National Weather Service posted lesser tropical storm warnings as far north as North Carolina and warned that much of the region could experience prolonged power outages and flooding.

Based on the anticipated heavy rainfall, flooding, and strong winds, as well as the projected course of the storm over the next several days, closures began yesterday afternoon of large sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway. They extend from milepost 217 to 469.

State officials are encouraging people to postpone unnecessary travel during the storm. You’ll find real-time road conditions at DriveNC.gov.

Updated 9/26, 9:30 a.m.

The National Weather Service is warning of significant impacts of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina mountain counties.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall over the Florida panhandle Thursday night then make its way north through Georgia and western North Carolina.

A tropical storm warning has been issued for most of the mountain counties as far northeast as Yancey and Avery. The weather service says potentially catastrophic flash flooding and river flooding is expected later today and into Friday.

Wind gusts could reach more than 50 miles per hour, and combined with saturated soils will likely lead to numerous downed trees. As a result, power outages are possible. Weather conditions may also lead to brief isolated tornadoes.

A flood watch is already in effect and extends to Ashe, Alleghany, Watauga and Wilkes counties.