The Lake Lure dam in western North Carolina overtopped on Friday after Hurricane Helene inundated the area, forcing evacuations and warnings from offi

Water overtops North Carolina dam, forcing evacuations after heavy rain

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2024-09-27 22:00:03

The Lake Lure dam in western North Carolina overtopped on Friday after Hurricane Helene inundated the area, forcing evacuations and warnings from officials that the dam could fail.

Warnings about a second potential dam failure in the state — the Walters Dam, less than 100 miles from Lake Lure — also prompted concern in nearby Newport, Tennessee, as residents were asked to evacuate.

The Lake Lure dam, located about 25 miles east of Asheville, is still at imminent risk of failure and could flood downstream communities if that happens. Officials in South Carolina were warned that a failure could even impact towns there, according to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

“RESIDENTS BELOW THE LAKE LURE DAM NEED TO EVACUATE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY!!” the Rutherford County Emergency Management department wrote in a Facebook post at about 11 a.m. ET on Friday. “DAM FAILURE IMMINIENT!!”

“Structural supports have been compromised but the Dam wall is currently holding,” the agency wrote on Facebook. “Emergency personnel are working with the structural engineers and are going house to house to ensure all citizens have been evacuated.”