Information from towns and communities in Western North Carolina will be updated and added into this story through out the day. Please check back regularly as we continue to update.
Western North Carolina is littered with small communities and tourist towns that are usually high on the list of places to go for tourists this time of year. If you or anyone you know had a vacation planned for these areas, do not go.
Many communities are without water, power and the resources needed to sustain residents and roads are considered closed in Western North Carolina to non-emergency personnel at this time.
Recovery is a long road ahead.
Here’s how towns around that region of the state are faring after the devastating effects of Helene hit the state on Friday and continue to linger as crews continue efforts to clear roads and connect these towns back to civilization.
Boone
The mountain town is home to Appalachian State University and a must-go tourist destination for many is now home to sinkholes, downed trees and mudslides.
“This event has been unprecedented in the Boone’s modern history. The combination of rapid flooding and high winds from Hurricane Helene created washouts and ground shifting that produced roadway failure, sinkholes, mudslides, and down trees all of which contributed to numerous water main breaks in the aforementioned areas of town as well as our emergency interconnection with the Town of Blowing Rock,” read a news release from the town.
The town, located in Watauga County, is still under a county-wide curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. until further notice.
Boone is also connected to a network called Resortcams that has live camera feeds showing different angles of the town and other mountain towns in Western North Carolina, with power being out only one camera in Boone is operational at this time.
Banner Elk
The last message posted on the town of Banner Elk’s website stated:
The town asks residents to stay off the roads unless the travel is essential. There are still numerous downed trees and power lines, as well as damaged roads, bridges and culverts, that are creating serious hazards to travel. Water is still out in the town and could be out for some time. When it does return, Banner Elk will be under a boil order.
Banner Elk town hall has food, water, Wi-Fi and other necessities for residents.
Power has been restored to the main corridors of the town, but many other areas are still without power due to damage to the power grid.
Most roads are still impassable and the town asks that people not bring supplies in person. Banner Elk has partnered with a non-profit charitable organization that serves the Greater Banner Elk Area to take tax-deductible donations that can be found here.
Lees-McRae College, which sits in the heart of Banner Elk, evacuated students from campus over the weekend and they were making their way to either Boone (via N.C.184/Tynecastle Highway and N.C. 105) or Johnson City, Tennessee, (via N.C. 194 and U.S. 19E).
A Facebook page called “Visit Banner Elk,” showed photos of people gathering at town hall to get food, Wi-Fi and water on Sunday and Monday morning. People were being airlifted out of the community that was isolated by floodwaters caused by Helene, and an escape route along Beech Mountain Parkway has been open, according to the Facebook page.
The group has helped to communicate where resources are available in the community and its most recent post on Tuesday had news of a new site people could pick up supplies from or donate to in Historic School at 185 Azalea Circle SE, Banner Elk.
“BE Resource Center opening Thurs Oct 3 in Historic School (enter in back). Pickup food, water, household items, diapers, pet food and much more, 10am-4pm everyday. Drop off donations too. Please, try to group donations to reduce cars in area,” read the post.
Black Mountain
The town of Black Mountain will hold daily town meetings at 3 p.m. at Town Square (in front of the Fire Department). Town officials and emergency personnel from the police and fire departments will be on hand to provide updates about what is happening on that current day. These updates will also be posted on the town’s social media and website, according to a press release from the town via Facebook.
“Damage to Black Mountain and towns in Western NC has been catastrophic. Since Friday, September 27, the town government, police, and fire departments have been working around the clock to reach town residents and provide critical support. Due to the rapidly changing situation, daily updates will be provided through press releases and community meetings. Community meetings will be held daily at 3:00pm at Town Square Park,” read the statement from Tuesday, Oct. 1.
As of Saturday, the town’s water system was still not in operation.
Looking for shelter near Black Mountain? There are two shelters available at A-B Tech:
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General Population Shelter: A-B Tech Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Drive, Asheville, NC 28801 (Use the Victoria Road Entrance.)
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Medical Emergency Shelter for individuals who are dependent on medical equipment requiring power is located at 10 Genevieve Circle, Asheville, NC 28801.
Get updates on Helene’s aftermath: Sign up for text message updates and crucial information in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath
Swannanoa
Search efforts in Swannona are still underway as the community slowly regains cell service after days of little to no ways of communication, according to recent posts from Swannanoa Fire & Rescue.
“We are still performing missions of a critical nature and have not reached all areas. We are working as hard as we can but as you can guess, it is taking excavators, wire cutters, saw and water rescue teams to slowly get through to everyone,” wrote Deputy Chief Larry Pierson on the Facebook page. “If you are not from Swannanoa, or have no need to be on the roadways, please keep clear. Unnecessary traffic has caused delays for responders and we’ve even had someone honk their horn at us to get us to move our vehicles… while we are performing rescues.
“Look after your neighbor and I can assure you I have seen an amazing display of that in every neighborhood and many neighbors meeting for the first time. This event was catastrophic and we have a long way to go. Lives and property have been lost and I will ask that you have patience with anyone around you.”
On Tuesday, Friends and Neighbors of Swannona were setting up door to door canvassing to make sure that people were okay.
“Want to help? Head to Grovemont Park/ the Square to help canvas the neighborhood and check on your neighbors. Find Martine around noon (or later) and she’ll put you to work,” read the post.
People can also head to the area to get either bottled water or bring their own containers for spring water daily from noon to 5-6 p.m. Bounty and Soul will also serve prepared meals at 1 p.m. daily.
How can I help? Here’s how to donate to those affected by Hurricane Helene.
Bee Tree Dam
During a frantic Sunday, reports of dams about to collapse and breach have come quickly. The Bee Tree Dam is currently stable, according to social media posts from Asheville City Government.
“The dam at Bee Tree is functioning as it was engineered. Water is coming through the spillway as is the appropriate function. Water resources completed multiple fly over visual inspection today for situational awareness. Water Resources staff continue to work around the clock to respond to the emergency,” read the post.
Cherokee
Reports from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nations paper Cherokee One Feather in Cherokee, N.C., indicate that roads on the Qualla Boundary (Cherokee) were closed on Friday due to the flooding, but some roads have opened in the last few days.
In the most recent report from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the area was still dealing with flooding, power failures, internet and cell service outages and water and gas shortages. Much of the reservation was spared from destruction, according to reports. The community is working to help others that didn’t fair as well by taking donations at the 112th Cherokee Indian Fair this week.
Henderson County
Henderson County has implemented a county-wide curfew from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily until “conditions improve.”
Officials urge people not to be out on the roads as emergency teams continue to work calls and rescues across the county.
“Please limit travel so crews can not only work emergencies but also Duke Energy crews can work on restoring power,” read a social media post from the county government on Monday.
The county also has six resource hubs open across the county. Distribution started at noon today, Monday, Sept. 30. Resource hub locations are:
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Etowah Elementary, 320 Etowah School Road Etowah, NC 28729
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Rugby Middle, 3345 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, NC 28791
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East Henderson, 150 Eagle Pride Drive, East Flat Rock, NC 28726
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North Henderson, 35 Fruitland Road, Hendersonville, NC 28792
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Mills River Town Hall, 124 Town Center Drive, Mills River, NC 28759
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Fletcher Town Hall, 300 Old Cane Creek Road, Fletcher, NC 28732
Henderson County has also launched a Wellness Check Status Map for those still missing. This map shows individuals whose location and safety are unknown in red. Blue dots show contacts that have been made. Find the map here.
Mills River
Mills River continues to deal with power outages and not having water. The town has implemented a Resource Hub at Mills River Park,124 Town Center Drive, to distribute needed supplies to community members daily now.
“Mills River Park will be open from 9am-6pm today as a Point of Distribution for food and water. We continue to anticipate a high volume of traffic visiting the resource hub. Thank you for your patience as we work diligently to help as many people as possible! Each family unit will be provided supplies for one day’s meal and water as it is available. Individuals are asked to enter the drive-through Resource Hub and remain in their cars unless instructed otherwise by volunteers, to ensure an efficient process. We appreciate your compassion and grace as we work through this time of crisis. Neighbor helping neighbor, we’ll get through this together,” read the latest update from the town.
Mills River is under the 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. curfew implemented by Henderson County until conditions improve.
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University has suspended classes through Friday, Oct. 4.
“Due to widespread internet and cellular outages, as well as regional road closures, Western Carolina University is suspending classes through Friday, Oct. 4 for Cullowhee, Biltmore Park, and distance learning. For their safety, we advise students not to leave the area due to major interstate closures in multiple areas,” read a statement from the school.
Marshall
Marshall, like many of the communities on this list, has called a state of emergency for its community. Water is out for much of the town and much of the infrastructure, and town, was underwater over the weekend. Sunday night, Marshall updated that the town is still not safe to travel in and will not be for many days to come.
Marshall Volunteer Fire Department has coordinated efforts to keep residents supplied with water by taking jugs to Madison AB Tech to fill and bring back, people should keep an eye on the department’s Facebook page for drop off and pick-up times.
The department also has a list of roads that are open for people to evacuate on provided by N.C. Highway Patrol.
Madison County, Mars Hill
Madison County is under a state of emergency with “no fuel or additional supplies available for those from outside of Madison County” and ask people to “seek assistance in the community in which you live.”
Currently, there is no thru traffic on I-26 Westbound due to a bridge outage in Tennessee, and people should use alternate routes. Exit 9 is the last exit available for thru motorists, according to the county government webpage.
Madison County Emergency Management and Fire Marshall’s office spoke on Tuesday, Oct. 1, to give and update on the area. Multiple distribution sites have opened in the county to provide food and water to residents. Food and water supplies are being routed to area volunteer fire department to move them closer to each community. Here’s where residents can pick supplies up.
• Marshall VFD – operating at AB Tech – 4646 US 25/70 Hwy
• Walnut VFD – 10025 US 25/70 Hwy
• Big Pine VFD – 7909 Big Pine Rd
• Laurel VFD – 4949 NC 212 Hwy, Marshall (they are also accepting donations)
• Ebbs Chapel Community Center – 281 Laurel Valley Rd, Mars Hill
• Mars Hill Fire Dept – 56 N Main St., Mars Hill
• Country VFD – 486 Church Rd., Hot Springs, NC
• Spring Creek VFD – 13131 NC 209 Hwy., Hot Springs
• Hot Springs VFD – 38 S Andrews Ave Hot Springs
Mars Hill’s webpage still has not been updated with any information concerning Helene, and neither has its social media page. Mars Hill University provided an update on Sunday about conditions on their Facebook page.
“Local and state officials continue to advise that travel in the region should be restricted to essential and emergency travel. Therefore, employees should not travel to campus unless requested to do so and officials encourage students to stay on campus,” read the post. “Power has been restored to most of campus and much of the town of Mars Hill. Cellular and internet access are intermittently available.”
Waynesville
Waynesville is currently under a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and is asking people to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.
Also, several distribution sites have opened in Haywood County with two in Waynesville.
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Woodland Baptist Church, 545 Crabtree Road, Waynesville
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Bethel Elementary School, 4700 Old River Road, Canton
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Jonathan Valley Elementary School, 410 Hall Drive, Waynesville
Supplies will be available at these locations Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There are also groups providing meals and other supplies.
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Pigeon River Community Center, 450 Pigeon St., Waynesville, will serve food daily at 2 p.m. The center has water, power, charging stations, shovels, trash bags and pet food available as of Tuesday, Oct. 2.
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First United Methodist Church, 566 Haywood St., Waynesville has opened a Welcome Center to assist community members in need. The center is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to noon with food, clothing and shower access as of Tuesday, Oct. 2.
The town is no longer under a boil water advisory.
Canton
Canton has kept residents up to date on its social media page with everything from how to contact FEMA to how to navigate around town in the current conditions.
Much of the community’s downtown area was flooded, and work is underway in helping clear the area. As of Monday morning, there was no traffic allowed in the downtown area except for business owners. Volunteers helping to clear out the area were directed to walk in to help.
The town has also been under a boil advisory since Saturday, Sept. 28 and is now on mandatory water conservation as of Monday, Oct. 1.
“All customers must continue actions from Stage 1 and further reduce water use. All nonessential uses of drinking water are banned,” read a post on the town’s Facebook page.
Chimney Rock, Lake Lure
There is little left of the popular tourist town of Chimney Rock in Rutherford County. Much of the community was swept away as the the nearby river ruptured from its banks to sweep away buildings, cars and anything else in its path, leaving in its wake a mountain of mud and other debris.
Residents there and in nearby Lake Lure were cut off from much of the outside world right after Helene hit. Many were airlifted out, while others who were not in the direct path of destruction were able to travel hours out of the way to get away from the devastated area.
“The Village of Chimney Rock Government is slowly and surely attempting to dig out. We are deeply grateful for all of the love and prayers sent our way. As we continue to coordinate our efforts, we will announce additional information about a public meeting date, time, and location. This will be to begin disseminating essential information for Village residents and businesses,” read a post from the Chimney Rock Village Facebook.
Chimney Rock State Park is currently closed and will remain closed until the park can be assessed for damages.
Lake Lure has opened a resource center with food, showers, restrooms, a tool trailer, charging stations and Wi-Fi at Ingles on Highway 9 in Lake Lure. Meals will also be served at that location in two shifts: 11:30 a.m-1:30p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Marion
On Wednesday morning, many residents of Marion were still without power, but some of it was beginning to come back to areas of the town.
“During our conference with Duke officials last night, they said that everyone in Marion (and most of the rest of McDowell County, except for the areas cut-off and isolated by road and bridge destruction), SHOULD have electric power restored by this Friday,” wrote Mayor Steve Little.
The town also has implemented distribution sites in multiple locations in the are.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Western NC Helene updates: From Boone to Chimney Rock, what to know
