‘This is such a disaster’; Town of Lake Lure devastated by flooding from hurricane

LAKE LURE, N.C. (WSPA) – The town of Lake Lure was devastated by the chaos Hurricane Helene left behind. 7NEWS viewed some damage Wednesday.

The storm flooded the town, washing away boats and docks. Some homes are barely standing on stilts. The lake is filled with debris and is considered unsafe, according to town leaders.

“It’s unreal the amount of devastation there is,” Kenneth Stott, a volunteer from Landrum said. “It has to be one of the worst in Southeast history.”

“City Hall is under mud,” Peter Volk said. “The old playground is under mud. Everything down there is destroyed.”

Lake Lure is known for its picturesque scenery and was the filming location for the iconic 1987 movie, “Dirty Dancing.”

It has been difficult to access Lake Lure since the storm hit, with most roads blocked by fallen trees.

North Carolina Highway Patrol has several checkpoints set up on the roads that lead to Lake Lure Beach and Water Park.

Search and rescue teams are working against the clock to find people who may be stranded in their mountain homes. The Lake Lure Fire Department and Emergency Management are being assisted by the National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART), SC HART, the Army Corps of Engineers, the North Carolina Forestry Service, and FEMA.

According to townspeople, firefighters have been “going door-to-door making rescues in the most affected areas here. Many rescues are by foot and via helicopter where vehicles cannot go.”

“This is such a disaster that you don’t even know where to go,” Stott said. “You know there’s people out there.”

Stott and a group of volunteers from Landrum, South Carolina drove ATVs to Lake Lure so they could reach people in the mountains. Their vehicles were loaded with food, water and medical supplies.

“We have supplies, and we’re all set so we’re hoping to find someone who needs some help,” Stott said.

Dan Fowler waited at the highway patrol checkpoint on Wednesday. His home is located in Chimney Rock, a town located next to Lake Lure, which was nearly wiped out by flooding.

He said he has been trying to get to his home but has not been able to.

“We got an aerial view on a drone that our home is there, but I’m sure the water intrusion was catastrophic,” Fowler said. “Two doors down, we had a lady in her mid-60s who didn’t want to evacuate for some reason. She perished and went down with the house.”

Amid the destruction, people from across the region are sending help. Peter Volk, who has a home in Lake Lure, gathered donations from the town of Belmont.

“It’s a huge outpouring,” Volk said. “It was really heartwarming. People were in tears when they left just knowing what had happened up here. It’s going to be everybody pulling together to help rebuild this town that we all love so much.”

There were concerns that the Lake Lure Dam would break during the storm. However, the town said, as of September 29, the dam “remains stable.”

The dam generally performed as intended and is stable. Most of the arches overtopped, which they were designed to do during extreme floods, and the Emergency Action Plan (EAP) was subsequently activated out of an abundance of caution.

The abutments did not overtop, and the concrete structure was not compromised. Some damage to the abutments and downstream area occurred, and plans are underway to repair these areas.

The lake is being operated at a lower level until the repairs can be made, but there are no ongoing concerns associated with dam failure.

Lake Lure’s Dam Engineers with Schnabel Engineering

To learn more about resources for Lake Lure residents, WiFi and shower accessibility, donations and much more, click here.

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