Tropical Storm Helene leaves destruction, uncertainty in wake

Swannanoa Valley among WNC communities devastated by flooding, wind damage

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 1, 2024

Tropical Storm Helene, which brough heavy rain and high winds to Western N.C., Sept. 27, has left residents in the Swannanoa Valley without power or water for days. Resources will remain limited in the days ahead, according to local officials. Photo by Fred McCormick

Even while warnings loomed and local grocery stores were packed with anxious customers stocking up on supplies, awaiting the Sept. 27 arrival of Tropical Storm Helene, few could have imagined the devastation that would be illuminated by the morning light. 

Three days later, much remains unknown about the full impact of the massive system that brought as much as 30 inches of rain and a barrage of high-velocity winds to the mountains of Western N.C., but its life-altering effects will likely be felt for months to come. 

At least 40 Buncombe County residents lost their lives in the storm, Buncombe County officials reported in a Sept. 30 briefing, while hundreds remain missing and approximately 90,000 are without electricity.

The situation in Swannanoa, where cars, SUVs and tractor-trailers litter the mud-caked landscape, is “”heartbreaking,” according to Swannanoa Fire Department Chief and native Anthony Penland.

“Our community, the community I grew up in, will not look the same years from now,” said Penland, in his 23rd year as chief of his hometown’s department. “This is not a repair; this is a rebuild.”

Swannanoa has received support from multiple agencies in its rescue and recovery efforts and anticipates relief for its exhausted crew. 

“We’ve had outside state agencies, including the state fire marshal office, High Point and Leicester, and more are coming,” the chief said. “The idea is for some additional assistance to give our guys, who have been at it, nonstop, since the start of the storm, some rest.”

Rescuing residents trapped within the widespread wreckage remains the department’s top priority. 

“We still have people stuck behind landslides that have blocked roads throughout the area,” Penland. “We’re responding to calls from people running out of oxygen or medicine who can’t get out.”

The operation has been complicated by a lack of mobile phone services, he added.

“That’s been a problem,” he said. “We don’t have service, which is really hindering communication.”

In the town square of neighboring Black Mountain, public officials, impeded by the same communication issues, staff addressed the public directly for the first time since the storm. Scores of people were sternly greeted by police chief Steve Parker.

“Please be quiet,” he said, following a loud whistle. “I know a lot of people have a lot of questions. There are a lot of things that people want answers for and we want to give them to you.”

Parker again directed the crowd to “be silent.”

Lisa Jennings, who is serving as the public information officer for the incident management team, said the purpose of the meeting was “to provide all the information we know.”

She then brought Parker back to stand on a table while addressing the residents. Saving lives had been the top priority of the department throughout the 48 hours after the storm that left the town without electricity or water.

“We are now in rescue and repair and getting the resources we need,” he said. “We need to make sure that we, as a community, stay safe and don’t panic.”

A crowd gathers in the Black Mountain Town Square, Sept. 29, as town officials hold their first public meeting since Tropical Storm Helene devastated the municipality's infrastructure. Photo by Fred McCormick

Limited supplies, including one gallon of water per resident each day, have been available since a mudslide on I-40, east of town, has been among multiple factors limiting access to Black Mountain. Town officials encourage anyone who can leave the area, utilizing I-26 eastbound, to do so.

Those who remain are told to be patient.

“We ask when we get resources, you sit in line, and you wait patiently,” Parker said. “Nobody wants to wait that long, but that’s just the situation we are in.”

The Black Mountain Fire Department, which covers an area that includes the town, neighboring Montreat, Ridgecrest, North Fork and parts of Broad River, was staffed by all 26 employees the day before the storm’s arrival, according to chief John Coffey.

“We were prepared for what we thought would be similar to what we’ve experienced in the past,” he said. “As (the storm) progressed, we started putting out messages to areas that flood, normally. We went door-to-door and told those people to go somewhere else.”

The department prepared with the resources available at the time, according to Coffey.

“When the storm hit, we started our rescue efforts in the most damaged areas, getting to those who were still alive,” he said. “The people we could save is who we saved, and we took crews all the way up (N.C. 9), to the end of our district.”

The department is now transitioning into recovery efforts, he added.

Black Mountain Town Manager Josh Harrold addresses the public in town square, Sept. 29, as much of the town remains without electricity, water or sewage services. Photo by Fred McCormick

“Now, we’re trying to get roads open so we can get into areas and get people who were having mobility issues out,” he said. “On N.C. 9, the roads are gone. There are spots where there are roads, then no roads, so we’re trying to make efforts to get in there.”

Town Manger Josh Harrold encouraged the community to “stick together,” as Duke Energy crews work to restore power in the area.

“We’ve been told, more than likely, in the coming weeks, yes they told us weeks, we will see power,” he said. “I don’t have an estimated time for that.”

With road damage and water system failures, the town is also unable to collect trash, according to Harrold.

“We’re working to get dumpsters delivered, so people can get garbage to them,” he said. “I don’t know when, but that information will be coming.”

The town’s partial reliance on the City of Asheville for water services is another challenge, he added.

“They have large breaks in their infrastructure out of the North Fork Reservoir, which feeds us about 60 percent of our water,” Harrold said. “We have our own water system, which is fed by a system of wells, and we’re trying to get that up and running, but we have so many breaks and leaks in town, we have not had time to look at those.”

All 15 public works employees are running four divisions, including sanitation, park maintenance, water and streets, according to director Jamey Matthews.

“We have resources coming out Texas and S.C.,” he said. “We are receiving potable water from Davis Water, which is distributing one gallon per person, each day, at Ingles. We have 100 people coming in with equipment to help with labor.”

Staff, he added, were able to get home and check on family members.

“Some of them last their houses, have trees on their houses, but didn’t even know if their families were alive,” Matthews said. “But, I want you to know, every one of these employees have stayed here and served these citizens.”

The crews will work diligently to restore water service, according to Matthews.

“I can not give you a definitive time,” he said. “There are 12 other counties in WNC without water, so you are not by yourselves.”

The sewer system in town, which is operated by the Metropolitan Sewerage District, is “severely damaged,” Matthews continued.

“The plant on French Broad is non-operable, but talking to the contacts I have, their primary goal is to rebuild that,” he said.

Tropical Storm Helene left much of Black Mountain and Swannanoa under water, Sept. 27, as the system moved from the Gulf of Mexico into the mountains of Western N.C. Photo by Fred McCormick

The damage will likely impact town residents well into the future, according to Jennings.

“It will be weeks before services are restored, and moths before life is back to normal,” she said. “But, there are resources here to support the community.”

A distribution center will operate in the Ingles parking lot, from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m., to allow for the distribution of resources, as they arrive.

“The questions we have heard form the community are important questions, but we do not have a lot of answers yet,” Jennings said.

The town was unable to take questions from the crowd, due to the number of people who attended the meeting. Residents were advised to direct additional questions to an information table, staffed by town staff, elected officials and volunteers.

“We do not have any fuel available yet,” Jennings said. “We are limited on fuel, even for our responders.”

The town will continue sharing updates on its Facebook page, although many residents are still unable to access internet or mobile phone service.

Churches from outside of the area have donated food and water, which will be distributed regularly at Cragmont Assembly. The initiative involves 30,000 gallons of water and 5,000 meals per day, according to Matthews.

“I have seen so much good through this event, and we’re going to get through it together, if we stick together as a community,” the town manager said.

The Town of Montreat, according to manager Savannah Parrish, has faced widespread devastation from the storm.

“We have three bridges damaged by the storm, which are now passable,” she said. “The students of Montreat College have been evacuated and no students remain on campus. If members of the community are able to leave the community, have gas in their vehicles and somewhere to go, we are encouraging them to leave if they can do so safely.”

The town’s dam at Lake Susan remains structurally sound, despite rumors that it failed during the storm, she added.

“I have no update when water will be restored to the community,” Parrish said. “We have hundreds of feet of water lines that were damaged, and we are making our way up Greybeard Road, which was completely washed out. That’s slow-going, and we hope to have water restored as soon as possible.”

Buncombe County, on Oct. 1, announced that I-40, eastbound, was open, allowing residents to leave the area. The county is operating four distribution sites throughout the area, and while none are accessible to Swannanoa Valley residents, more are anticipated in the coming days, according to county manager Avril Pinder.

“Right now, our focus is on stabilizing those sites,” she said.

County staff are being mobilized to distribute supplies to isolated areas, Pinder said.