100+ years later: Hurricane Helene wreaks havoc on Asheville, mirroring the worst disaster in western North Carolina history

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) – When contextualizing the aftermath of the devastation that Hurricane Helene inflicted on communities throughout western North Carolina, the amount of damage and loss of life is almost unprecedented.

One of the areas most heavily impacted by the hurricane was the city of Asheville, suffering its worst disaster in nearly a century. As of Wednesday, North Carolina officials report at least 89 deaths in connection to the storm. Buncombe County, home to Asheville, confirms 40 deaths, but that number is expected to rise. These numbers from Buncombe County mark the highest death toll of any county in the state after Helene.

Historically, the last time Asheville faced such a weather event dates back to the Flood of 1916, resulting in more than 80 deaths. So how does this compare to the damage left by Hurricane Helene?

Timeline

In late June of 1916, a tropical depression materialized in the western Caribbean Sea, eventually reaching hurricane status as it made its way through the Gulf of Mexico. It eventually made landfall in Alabama on July 5 as a Category 3 hurricane, before heading to the Carolinas and lingering over the southern Appalachian mountains for days.

The storm brought heavy rain to the region, primarily between July 8-10. This saturated the soil and filled the stream banks with several inches of water, all while another storm was brewing in the Atlantic Ocean.

As the Gulf Coast storm began to wane, the second storm escalated to a Category 2 hurricane prior to hitting the Charleston, S.C. area on July 14, 1916. One day later, the storm brought further rainfall to western North Carolina, and catastrophic flooding along with it.

From the eastern foothills to the Blue Ridge Mountains, precipitation totals ranged from five inches to over 20 inches. A weather station in Altapass, close to Grandfather Mountain, recorded over 22 inches of rain within a 24-hour period, shattering the U.S. record at the time.

Impact

The massive increase in water led to dams across western North Carolina being breached. The French Broad River, which flows approximately 218 miles from Transylvania County into Tennessee, is usually 380 feet wide. Once the flooding came, the river stretched 1,300 feet across — which is equivalent to more than three and a half football fields.

River waters topped out at 21 feet, nearly 17 feet above flood stage.

When the rain finally stopped on July 16, the speed and volume of the rising floodwater left people climbing and clinging to trees. Some even witnessed helplessly as loved ones slipped away into the choppy and tumultuous waters — never to be seen again.

Meanwhile, the power plant in Asheville was pulverized, and the railroad sustained severe damage. Once the flooding subsided, the Asheville community was unrecognizable, as mudslides washed away hundreds of homes and caused millions of dollars worth of destruction, effectively cutting the city off from the outside world.

Aftermath

As the sun rose on the morning of July 16, the recovery effort was officially underway.

Although the exact timetable is undetermined, the greater mountain region gradually returned to everyday life. Homes were rebuilt. Railroads were reconstructed. Industries had rejuvenated. Communities steadily rebounded to a sense of normalcy.

In the end, the Flood of 1916 redefined the meaning of disaster to those residing in the western parts of the state, and no weather event afterward ever compared to this level of sheer, apocalyptic horror — until now.

Helene

Similar to the 1916 disaster, a previous weather system migrated into western North Carolina before Helene arrived, leaving the ground and rivers saturated. The city of Asheville, displaying a modern-day population of almost 95,000 people, sits at the intersection of two major rivers, the French Broad and the Swannanoa River, making the region heavily susceptible to flooding.

Echoing the “Great Flood” from over 100 years ago, several communities surrounding the Blue Ridge Mountains suffered widespread damage and horrific casualties: Hundreds of people missing, thousands without electricity or running water and countless roads deemed undrivable.

Helene poured around 14 inches of rainfall on cities and towns along the Blue Ridge Mountains, while other areas throughout the state registered as much as over two feet. In Yancey County, a small town called Busick collected nearly 31 inches. Spruce Pine, in neighboring Mitchell County, measured slightly over 24 inches through 8 a.m. on Sept. 28.

NOAA reports that flooding levels from Hurricane Helene crushed the “Great Flood” record at an astounding level of 24.67 feet.

Although the exact amount is unknown at this time, the estimated cost of total damage from Hurricane Helene is somewhere between $225 and $250 billion, according to AccuWeather. This figure also takes the economic loss in Florida and the rest of the Southeast into account.

Helene is now considered the deadliest mainland hurricane since 2005 when Katrina killed at least 1,392 people.

Post-Helene, an outpouring of support has shown everything from federal agencies to grassroots organizations coming together to help victims of Hurricane Helene. Click here to learn more about opportunities where you can help western North Carolina communities.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.