Flooding swamps Asheville area as North Carolina mountains brace for Helene's life-threatening rainfall
North Carolina's Buncombe County officials have advised residents who live near the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers to evacuate before Friday night, especially those in towns such as Fletcher or Biltmore Forest.
Historic flooding begins in western North Carolina ahead of Hurricane Helene
Flooding from heavy rainfall caused the Swannanoa River near the historic Biltmore Village to rapidly rise.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Cities in western North Carolina are bracing for catastrophic flooding and other significant weather impacts from Hurricane Helene's landfall.
In Buncombe County, a local state of emergency was declared Thursday and applies to Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Weaverville, the Woodfin, Black Mountain and Montreat.
County officials have advised residents who live near the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers to evacuate before Friday night, especially those in towns such as Fletcher and Biltmore Forest.
Flooding on a road along the Swannanoa River in Biltmore Village.
(@JenRennicks/X / FOX Weather)
"This will be one of the most significant weather events to happen in the western portions of the area in the modern era," officials at the National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, said in a post on X on Thursday. "Record flooding is forecasted and has been compared to the floods of 1916 in the Asheville area."
Landslides capable of washing out bridges and roads are possible during this flooding event, NWS said.
"We plead with everyone that you take every single weather warning very seriously through the entirety of this event as impacts will be life-threatening and make sure to have multiple ways to receive the alerts," NWS said.
Photos and videos from the area on Thursday afternoon show rivers rushing and flooded streets. Flooding was being reported in Biltmore Village, just to the south of Asheville, near the Swannanoa River.
Swannanoa River flooding in Asheville, North Carolina
(@JenRennicks/X / FOX Weather)
More than 14,000 people were without power in North Carolina as of Thursday afternoon.
In Burke and Henderson Counties, a voluntary evacuation was in place for areas near rivers and creeks that tend to flood.
Helene-induced rainfall triggers catastrophic flooding in western North Carolina
Video shows The French Broad River flooding in Mills River, North Carolina. City officials are asking residents to self-evacuate if they live in low-lying, flood-prone areas.