Flooding from Hurricane Helene destroys portions of Ashe County

ASHE COUNTY — Weather alerts began early last week that included the possibility of torrential rainfall and strong winds arriving well ahead of a hurricane that was growing stronger in the Gulf of Mexico.

By the end of the weekend, several locations in Ashe County were without electricity, cell phone service, food and water supplies after well over a foot of rain fell throughout the county before and during Hurricane Helene. Many of the same locations will be impacted by the same issues this week as help from the National Guard, FEMA and other volunteers have started to arrive in the area.

According to Ashe County Emergency Management, there has been one confirmed fatality, and multiple homes and businesses were swept off their foundations by the flood waters.

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane as it came ashore in the Big Bend region of Florida. As the storm tracked its way through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee, the sheer amount of rainfall in the mountainous areas of North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee was too much to withstand.

Over 100 deaths have occurred due to the storm with more than 30 of those reported in North Carolina. Those numbers could rise in the coming days as emergency workers and the National Guard make their way into isolated areas that had not been reached previously.

In Ashe County, the northwestern end of the county appeared to be hit the hardest. Downtown Lansing saw flood waters rise into every business on Main Street as well as the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department and the Lansing Post Office. One of the Lansing VFD fire trucks was destroyed during the storm.

Many homes have been without power for days as the storm put a massive strain on Blue Ridge Energy’s electrical infrastructure. According to BRE, over 6,800 miles of electrical line was damaged across their service area. Some of the hardest hit Ashe County locations included Creston, Lansing, Big Horse Creek, Big Springs, Big Laurel and Sutherland.

“The damage is even more extensive than we first thought,” said Renee Walker, director of public relations. “This is not the news any of us want to hear. However, we are working to keep members informed with the latest information and we hope this helps members in these areas prepare, or helps their loved ones know so they can provide assistance.”

As of Monday evening, over 30,000 people total are still without power and just over 9,700 of those are in Ashe County.