Forecasters in North Carolina have issued urgent evacuation orders as the Lake Lure Dam in Rutherford County teeters on the brink of collapse due to the impacts of Tropical Depression Helene. The National Weather Service raised the alarm with a flash flood emergency, stating:
“**URGENT: FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY FOR THE LAKE LURE DAM! DAM FAILURE IMMINENT! RESIDENTS BELOW THE DAM NEED TO EVACUATE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY!**”
The destructive storm has claimed at least 25 lives after initially making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing catastrophic winds and a 15-foot storm surge to the state’s Big Bend region late Thursday night. With 140 mph winds, Helene left communities devastated, submerging homes, smashing boats, and littering roads with downed trees and power lines, which have created dangerous conditions for emergency responders.
Nearly 4 million people across the East Coast, from Florida to Virginia, remain without power. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed multiple fatalities, including two deaths in Tampa due to falling debris. An additional five lives were lost in Pinellas County.
As Helene moved inland, Georgia reported 11 fatalities, including two deaths in Wheeler County where a trailer crash claimed lives. South Carolina saw at least six deaths, and in North Carolina, a falling tree tragically killed a resident in Charlotte.
Although Helene has been downgraded to a tropical depression, it continues to bring life-threatening conditions, with flash flood warnings and hurricane-force wind gusts affecting parts of Georgia, the Carolinas, and even Kentucky. Forecasters predict that Helene will weaken and become extratropical by late Friday afternoon.
