Lake Lure dam failure is imminent – here’s what you need to know

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The remnants of Hurricane Helene have moved far inland since it made landfall in Florida's Big Bend on Thursday as a Category 4 storm, moved through Tennessee and moved into Kentucky on Friday, while bringing “historic and catastrophic flooding” to the southern Appalachians .

A man walks near a flooded area near the Swannanoa River in Asheville, North Carolina, on Friday. … (+) (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

Important facts

The center of Helene, which became post-tropical Friday afternoon, was about 50 miles south-southeast of Louisville, Kentucky, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph as of 5 p.m. EDT Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Heavy rain will fall over portions of the central and southern Appalachians, and total rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are expected across the region, with isolated rainfall totals of around 20 inches.

According to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller, flash flooding has affected about 1.1 million people in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina, as well as parts of Virginia and Tennessee. He noted that rivers in the areas may continue to rise due to the flood of rainfall.

According to the National Hurricane Center, tornadoes are possible in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina Friday evening.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Asheville and McDowell counties in North Carolina as rivers and reservoirs are expected to swell due to heavy rains, and several schools in Kentucky and Indiana were closed Friday as winds and heavy rain swept across the region.

Helene is expected to remain stationary over the Tennessee Valley tonight and throughout the weekend.

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Important background

Hurricane Helene made landfall near the town of Perry in Florida's Big Bend region around 11:10 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The storm moved through Florida and Georgia before moving north. According to the New York Times, at least 41 people have died in four states, including two firefighters in South Carolina.

Did Hurricane Helene cause power outages?

More than 4 million people in the southeast are without electricity. Nearly 2 million people in North and South Carolina are without power, as well as 900,000 in Georgia and another 676,000 in Florida, according to figures from PowerOutage.US as of 6:00 p.m. EDT. More than 300,000 people are affected by power outages in both Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as 231,000 people in Virginia, 87,000 in West Virginia and 306,000 in Ohio.

Will North Carolina's Lake Lure Dam fail?

Officials said the failure of the dam, about 35 miles southeast of Ashville, was “imminent” and urged all residents to evacuate and seek higher ground. The Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency has reported a “catastrophic” water flow in the area. Lake Lure is a small town centered around the lake and is best known as the home of the Lake Lure Inn, where the cast and crew of the 1987 film “Dirty Dancing” played. “Film remains during filming.

Does Helene influence the airlines?

Tampa International Airport closed to the public at 2 a.m. EDT Thursday in anticipation of Hurricane Helene, but resumed operations Friday morning. The storm did not cause any significant damage to the airport. According to FlightAware, hundreds of flights were either canceled or delayed due to the storm, impacting airports including Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and Asheville Regional Airport.

tangent

Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and comes weeks after Francine made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 on September 11th. Forecasters predicted this year's busiest storm season (from June 1 to November 30) the Atmospheric Administration has ever predicted – up to 25 named storms and 13 hurricanes – but the season so far has not been as active as predicted.