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    • Buncombe Co. is facing an active natural disaster
    Alabama

    Buncombe Co. is facing an active natural disaster

    Idris Bevan Posted on

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    Editor’s note: This live coverage is continually updated.

    Helene brought heavy rain and strong winds to North Carolina overnight and into Friday morning after making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane.

    The storm left thousands across the state without power. Follow us here for live updates.

    In Buncombe County, rivers have not yet crested, meaning waters are still rising along the Swannanoa River and French Broad River, posing an active threat to residents of those areas, county officials announced in a news release Friday.

    This is where rivers are expected to peak:

    • Around 2 p.m., the water level in Biltmore Village reached 27 feet
    • The Swannanoa River is expected to crest at 27 feet at 2 p.m
    • French Broad in Fletcher will peak at 30.5 feet at 8 p.m
    • French Broad in Asheville will peak at 23 feet at 8 p.m

    Buncombe County officials say they don’t expect the water to recede before Sept. 30, warning residents: “Even as the rain subsides, this remains an active natural disaster.”

    They are urging people not to drive at this time.

    More than 100 people were evacuated to the city of Asheville’s emergency shelter at Harrah’s Cherokee Center before noon on Friday.

    City staff were called to assist and members of the Buncombe County Community Paramedic Initiative set up a station in the lobby to provide medical treatment. Around 11:30 a.m., local paramedics transported an evacuee to Mission Hospital.

    Michael Koon, 70, was evacuated from ABCCM’s Veteran’s Restoration Quarters, which serves male veterans experiencing homelessness. An Asheville Rapid Transit bus picked up Koon and dozens of other veterans from the housing complex near the Swannanoa River in East Asheville, where Buncombe County officials ordered a mandatory evacuation in the early morning hours of Sept. 27.

    According to Tim McElyea, ABCCM’s homeless services director, more than 200 people were evacuated from the housing complex. As of 12:30 p.m. Friday, the site had not been affected by flooding and had not suffered any water damage, he told Citizen Times.

    Roads across western North Carolina are closed due to flooding, downed trees, rock slides and mudslides.

    The North Carolina Department of Transportation is asking motorists to avoid all travel in western North Carolina, spokeswoman Jen Goodwin said, noting that crews are responding but are experiencing difficulties with communications and continued high winds. She suggested that those who have cut down trees on NCDOT-maintained roads should call (877) DOT-4YOU.

    Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder said during an emergency news conference Friday that residents should assume “all roads are closed.”

    Haywood County government officials said the same thing.

    All lanes of I-40 are closed at mile marker 67, near Old Fort Mountain east of Ridgecrest, due to a rock slide. No injuries were reported. All lanes of I-26 are also closed at mile marker 51 in Henderson County, according to a news release from Buncombe County.

    All lanes of I-26 are closed south of Asheville between exits 44 and 53 due to flooding. According to DriveNC.gov, the road is expected to reopen at 2 p.m. Goodwin said many estimates for reopening roads are “subject to change” as crews face rising water and intermittent cell service. She encouraged residents to listen to local authorities on evacuation protocols.

    North Carolina Department of Transportation road closures can be followed live at https://drivenc.gov.

    Emergency shelters have been set up in some of North Carolina’s hardest-hit areas for residents who cannot evacuate. Shelters are located at the WNC Agriculture Center at the WNC Agricultural Center: 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher and at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St., Asheville.

    There are also Code Purple shelters available through ABCCM for unoccupied residents, and transportation via ART to Code Purple shelters is free.

    Residents should bring essential items such as medications, important documents and personal items, according to a news release.

    In response to the increasing threat from Tropical Storm Helene, Buncombe County officials have issued an immediate and mandatory evacuation order for residents along the Swannanoa River, starting at the North Fork Reservoir where water has overflowed the spillway. All residents in the following areas are required to evacuate: North Fork Road south to US 70, US 70 west to Old Farm School Road, Old Farm School to Azalea Road, Azalea Road to Swannanoa River Road and Swannanoa River Road to Biltmore Village.

    Due to flooding of a lake near the camp, mandatory evacuation orders were also issued for 105 Balsam Road from Camp Ridgecrest for Girls south to US 70 in Black Mountain.

    NOAA and USGS river gauges indicate flooding in WNC river basins. Flood stage begins at 9.5 feet and is considered minor flooding. Moderate flooding will begin at 13 feet and major flooding will begin at 18 feet.

    French Broad in Asheville – 13.75 feet as of 7:45 a.m. The peak is expected to be 21 feet at 8 p.m

    French Broad at Fletcher – 20.35 feet as of 8:15 a.m. The peak is expected to reach a record-breaking 30.5 feet at 8 p.m

    French Broad River near Marshall – 12.21 feet as of 8:00 a.m. The peak is expected to be 19 feet at 8 p.m

    Swannanoa River at Biltmore – 17.72 feet as of 8:30 a.m. The peak is expected to be 21 feet at 2 p.m

    French Broad River at Rosman (USGS) – 13.38 feet at 8:30 a.m

    Flood warnings are active for the French Broad River in the following locations: Marshall affecting Madison County, near Hot Springs affecting Madison County, Blantyre affecting Transylvania and Henderson Counties, Asheville affecting Buncombe County, and near Fletcher affecting Henderson and Buncombe Counties. There is also a flood warning for the Swannanoa River at Biltmore affecting Buncombe County.

    At the height of the storm in North Carolina, more than 450,000 people in the state were without power.

    Particularly affected was Buncombe County, where more than 100,000 Duke Energy customers were without power as of 8:30 a.m., while there were more than 63,000 Henderson County customers without power. Meanwhile, Haywood EMC reported more than 15,000 members were without power.

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    Idris Bevan
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