Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, wreaked havoc across the eastern United States, leaving a trail of destruction and chaos in its wake. As the storm dumped heavy rainfall and strong winds, two dams in North Carolina found themselves under threat. The Waterville Dam and the Lake Lure Dam, both located in the Great Smoky Mountains, were at risk of catastrophic failure due to the relentless flooding.

In Cocke County, Tennessee, officials issued a dire warning, claiming that the Waterville Dam had suffered a catastrophic failure. The order was to evacuate the entire town of Newport immediately. But, in a shocking twist, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency later announced that the dam had not failed after all. Evacuations continued, but the cause was a false alarm.

Meanwhile, in Rutherford County, North Carolina, officials ordered residents downstream of the Lake Lure Dam to flee to higher ground due to flash floods overtopping the wall. The dam, built in 1927, was classified as "high hazard" due to the large number of people and roads downstream. While the dam's structural integrity was compromised, it remained intact, but the surrounding area was severely affected.

Residents who lived near the dam told harrowing stories of the devastation. Helen Pace, a local photographer, shared pictures of her damaged home and a road carved apart by floodwaters. Despite the chaos, she was grateful to have escaped unscathed. The town's residents, however, were forced to evacuate, leaving behind their homes and belongings.

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene left at least 41 people dead across multiple states, and the true extent of the damage was only beginning to emerge. As the storm slowly dissipated, the people affected by the floods were left to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives.

Dam Alert: A Tale of Two Dams and the Fury of Hurricane Helene

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