NC officials order evacuation downstream of Lake Lure Dam

Emergency responders and residents were on alert Friday morning as Helene – the hurricane downgraded to a tropical storm – threatened to flood Lake Lure Dam in western North Carolina.

A mandatory evacuation was ordered Friday morning as local officials notified the National Weather Service that a levee breach was imminent.

Built in 1925 and 1926, the dam is a tourist and recreational destination for the rural county and uses the Broad River and two major streams to power a hydroelectric dam that produces electricity for Duke Power Co. from two hydroelectric turbine generators.

The dam is managed by the city of Lake Lure and is part of a multimillion-dollar improvement project that could extend its lifespan by 50 years.

On Friday morning, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gauges reported that the Broad River was nearing a depth of 992 feet, just above its flood stage of 991 feet, as Tropical Storm Helene caused catastrophic and historic flooding in Rutherford County and the surrounding region.

At 9 a.m. Friday, city officials notified the Rutherford County Emergency Management Office of the impending dam failure and said water from the lake was expected to reach the dam before 10 a.m

Sirens were activated to notify residents in low-lying areas below the dam of the impending outage, Rutherford County emergency officials said in a Facebook post.

They said emergency shelters have been opened at Lake Lure City Hall on Memorial Highway and the Rutherfordton Presbyterian Church on North Washington Street in the town of Rutherfordton.

The evacuation could result in many residents of the predominantly rural county being displaced as emergency responders had urged them to stay in their homes early Friday morning as trees and power lines blocked several roads across much of the county.

Blocked roads also forced local fire departments to stop road clearing operations and rescue workers were no longer required to respond to non-life-threatening emergency calls until conditions improved, officials said.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the hurricane itself made landfall late Thursday evening in Big Bend, Florida, where maximum sustained winds were 140 miles per hour.

The story is being updated.