Due to heavy rains and severe flooding left by Hurricane Helene, now tropical storm, Buncombe County officials issued new evacuation orders for some areas this morning.
A mandatory evacuation order that goes from Balsan Road to Highway 70 , asking residents to seek shelter in higher areas of the county.
"Due to flooding of a lake with a dam at Camp Ridgecrest for Girls, a mandatory evacuation order is in effect for 105 Balsam Road from the camp south to Highway 70 in Black Mountain, Buncombe County officials said.
Un emergency shelter was established in the WNC Agricultural Center located at WNC Agricultural Center: 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher NC. Please use Gate 5 to enter.
As well, A new emergency shelter has opened at Harrah's Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St., Asheville.
LThe evacuation includes areas along the Swannanoa River from North Fork Reservoir to Biltmore Village.
buncombe county
Icatastrophic flooding looms
While the local state of emergency continues, resources are available to assist residents who wish to evacuate. It is anticipated that 15,000 individual residences may be affected.
See the flood zone map. Please note that this tool is not a confirmation that a property will not flood, it simply shows that it is not historically prone to flooding.
Check if your residence is located in a flood zone
Mandatory evacuations in Marion
Meanwhile, the local government of the town of Marion in McDowell County ordered mandatory evacuation for Bungalow Drive and Garden Creek Rd.
Bungalow Drive is in imminent danger of being surrounded by the Catawba River. "Emergency personnel will not be able to access the area based on the projected river levels. Now is the time to move to higher ground. Take immediate action to protect your life!, the authorities request.
An emergency shelter is open at Glenwood Baptist Church located at 155 Glenwood Baptist Church Rd. in Marion. Call 828-652-3241 if you need transportation to the shelter.
A new mandatory evacuation order has been issued for Ponderosa Park off of US 221 Business in Marion. Ponderosa Park is in imminent danger of being surrounded by the Catawba River.
Resources for those affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina
Power outages
As Hurricane Helene, now a tropical storm, batters western North Carolina with winds of more than 100 mph, at least 150,000 homes and businesses in the area are affected. they have run out of electricity.
The Duke Energy outage maps show more than 90,000 outages in Asheville alone.
Related: Report power outages due to Hurricane Helene and check when your home will be restored to power
Flooded streets in downtown Boone
On the other hand, in the town of Boone, where Appalachian State University is located, in western North Carolina, flooding is also being reported, especially in the center of the town.
According to photos and video shared by local news outlets, King Street in downtown Boone remains flooded Friday morning as Tropical Storm Helene brought heavy rain to the North Carolina mountains.
Other shelters available
Emergency shelters have been opened in the foothills and mountains of North Carolina to accommodate the general population. Services include beds and food, and some offer showers, all free of charge.
People will not be questioned about their immigration status, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation, but they will likely be required to show some form of identification to prove their identity.
Some of the emergency shelters are set up in coordination with the Red Cross.
Buncombe
First Baptist Church, 503 Park Street, Swannanoa, NC 28778, which is open to the general public, excluding pets. They have a maximum capacity of 50 people.
Trinity Baptist Church, at 216 Shelburne Rd. in Asheville, NC 28806.
Burke
Oak Hills Methodist Church:2239 NC 181, Morganton. Maximum capacity of 99 people. Pets allowed.
Clay
Clay County Senior Center:196 Ritter Road, Hayesville. Maximum capacity of 30 people. No pets allowed.
McDowell
Glenwood Baptist Church, 155 Old US 221 South, in Marion. It is open to the general population, and welcomes pets. It has a maximum capacity of 200 people.
Henderson
Athletics and Activity Center:708 S. Grove Street, Hendersonville. Open to the general population, pet-friendly, and with a maximum capacity of 447 people.
Mecklenburg
Cooks Memorial Presbyterian Church:3413 Mount-Holly-Huntersville Rd., Charlotte, NC 28216
Gaston
Citizen Resource Center:1303 Dallas Cherryville Highway, Dallas, NC. Open at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 26, in response to voluntary evacuation in the Lowell and Mount Holly neighborhoods.
Jackson
Cashiers Glenville Recreation Center:355 Frank Allen Rd, Cashiers. Maximum capacity of 608 people. Pets welcome.
Jackson County Department of Aging:100 County Services Park, Sylva. Maximum capacity of 120 people. Pets allowed.
Yancey
South Toe Elementary School:139 South Toe School Road, Burnsville. Capacity 100. No pets.
West Yancey VFD:6557 US HWY 19, Burnsville. Sleeps 50. No pets.
*For more information on emergency shelters that are open due to Hurricane Helene, you can visit the websiteShelters ofReadyNC.gov.
Rutherford County, Lake Lure evacuation
A mandatory evacuation of the area around Lake Lure was ordered Friday morning as local authorities notified the National Weather Service that a dam break was imminent.
The dam, built in 1925 and 1926, is a tourist and recreational destination for the rural county, harnessing the Broad River and two key streams to power a hydroelectric power plant that produces electricity for Duke Power Co. from two hydroelectric turbine generators. The dam is operated by the city of Lake Lure and is part of a multimillion-dollar improvement project that could extend its life by 50 years.
On Friday morning, gauges operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported the Broad River approaching 992 feet, just above its flood stage of 991 feet, as Tropical Storm Helene brought catastrophic and historic flooding to Rutherford County and the surrounding region.
Dam in danger of overflowing
The danger of water overtopping the dam is most likely to affect homes near the Broad River, which flows southeast of the dam. A flash flood warning for Rutherford County was expected to remain in effect until at least 2 a.m. Saturday, the NWS said.
Emergency shelters have been opened at Lake Lure Town Hall on Memorial Highway and Rutherfordton Presbyterian Church on North Washington Street in the town of Rutherfordton, they said.
Blocked roads also forced local firefighters to suspend road-clearing operations and emergency crews to stop responding to non-life-threatening calls until conditions improved, officials said.
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