John Jefferson
Residents downstream of a North Carolina dam have been ordered to evacuate after the barrier was “compromised” by floodwaters due to Hurricane Helene.
In a series of Facebook posts on Friday, the Rutherfood County Emergency Management Department told those living nearby to immediately flee to higheer ground due to flash floods overtopping the Lake Lure Dam.
“Water is cresting the dam and flowing around the side walls. Structural supports have been compromised, but the dam wall is currently holding,” the Department said at 1:44pm local time.
“Evacuations have occurred from the dam to Island Creek Road. Evacuation sirens are sounding downstream of the dam.”
That was a welcome change from Friday morning, when emergency officials issued a stark warning that the dam was about to fail entirely.
“RESIDENTS BELOW THE LAKE LURE DAM NEED TO EVACUATE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY!!” the officials said. “DAM FAILURE IMMINENT!!”
The state Department of Environmental Quality likewise told the Associated Press that there is no indication the dam is about to fail.
At least 37 people were dead across multiple states as of Friday morning after Hurricane Helene crashed into Florida as a Category 4 storm, pounding the west coast with “unsurvivable” conditions before weakening as it moved inland.
In another Facebook post, local wedding and portrait photographer Helen Pace, who lives on the other side of Lake Lure from the dam, posted pictures of her badly damaged house and a road carved apart by floodwaters.
“We are physically OK,” she said. “The water has started to recede and I think we dodged the predicted winds…
“We are not able to get out now, we have no power, no water, and cell service seems to be restricted. Sending my love to you all.”
The Rutherford County evacuation orders named a total of 45 streets in two separate Facebook posts. Officials said that storm shelters had been opened at Lake Lure Town Hall and Rutherfordtown Presbytarian Church.
The Lure Dam was built in 1927 on the Broad River, about one hour’s drive east of Asheville and two hours west of Charlotte.
Lake Lure itself is best known nationally as a filming site for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, which used it to stand in for upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains.
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