BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) – Buncombe County officials are urging anyone along the French Broad or Swannanoa rivers in the Fletcher and Biltmore Village area to self-evacuate before the rivers reach their projected surge levels overnight Friday into Saturday morning.

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A news release from county officials said flooding is expected to rival and/or exceed flooding from the 1916 flood.

“If you are in an affected area, you should leave now,” said Emergency Services Director Taylor Jones. “It is possible that we will reach a point where our crews will no longer be physically able to conduct rescue operations. We cannot emphasize how seriously you should take this.

The county said it is working to develop GIS mapping of the projected impacts, but those in the Biltmore Village and Fletcher areas along the river should plan to evacuate now.

Buncombe County held a press conference Thursday morning to discuss preparations for Helene and the precautions they are requiring the community to take.

District Manager Avril Pinder said the district had already received huge amounts of rain and more was coming.

“It is not common for the National Weather Service to use words like ‘catastrophic’ to describe forecasts,” Pinder said. “If they do that, we should all pay attention.”

Pinder said the county is doing everything it can to prepare for and respond to this storm.

Buncombe County Emergency Services Director Taylor Jones agreed with Pinder and said this storm could be very serious.

As of Thursday morning, the county had received 7.74 inches of rain at Asheville Airport, with forecasts of another 4-7 inches by 8 p.m. Thursday evening.

LIVE UPDATES: Flooding and power outages were reported prior to Helene’s arrival

Jones said it is important to note that the rain on Wednesday and Thursday is a pre-event and not the direct impact of Helene, which is expected to impact our area from 8 p.m

“Overall, another 9 to 14 inches is predicted for Buncombe County over the next 48 hours, which is historic for us,” he said.

Wind gust forecasts have also increased to gusts of up to 64 mph, with the strongest gust expected after 10 p.m. Thursday.

As of Thursday morning, the French Broad River was in minor flood stage of nearly 10 feet and is expected to rise to moderate flooding of about 15.5 feet by Friday.

As of Thursday morning, the Swannanoa River was also in minor flood stage, cresting just over 10 feet, and flooding is expected to increase to moderate flooding by Friday.

In Swannanoa, there is an emergency shelter at the Swannanoa Baptist Church. A second emergency shelter will open at Trinity Baptist Church after 3 p.m. Thursday.

Flooding forces ASHEVILLE ANIMAL RESCUE to evacuate; CARE URGENTLY NEEDED

Code Purple Shelter is also open to the homeless community.

Jones said emergency responders made 18 calls Wednesday evening, transporting 11 of them to nearby hospitals.

“Our team has conducted several water rescues and will continue to stand by in our region, but we ask that you please refrain from deploying them,” he said.

Jones urged everyone to stay home and stay off the streets. Due to the saturated ground, the risk of landslides is also very high.

“What can you and your family do now?” Please be prepared,” he said. “This storm will cause power outages.”

Jones said he urged residents to have enough water and food available for 72 hours.

LIVE UPDATES: Flooding and downed trees cause road closures in WNC before Helene

“If you are in a low-lying area by the river, leave. I can’t repeat that enough,” he said. “If you are in an area that has experienced flooding in the past, you will experience flooding during this storm.”

Jones said this storm could have deadly consequences and residents are asked to stay home.

“This is a potentially historic event with catastrophic, deadly consequences. This is not a maybe. It’s well on its way to happening,” he said.

He has asked the community to take all precautions to avoid danger. Jones added that crews are prepared and prepared for the “what if” situations.

The district will hold another press conference with updates at 4 p.m