Helene Leaves Cocke County Reeling

Local officials are now assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Helene that roared through this area as a tropical storm on Friday. The storm brought very heavy rains to western North Carolina. That rain that fell swelled the Pigeon River along with rains we had received from a stationary front on Wednesday and Thursday, the ingredients for a perfect storm. The Pigeon River crested late Friday, over 20 feet above flood stage at 28.4 feet. Flood stage is 8 feet. The previous record was 23.4 feet.

Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis issued a State of Emergency and an evacuation of downtown Newport after word came that the Waterville Dam in North Carolina had failed. That report later turned out to be in accurate as Mathis said Friday night that the dam had a breech, but was not as bad as it had been previously relayed to them. Flood waters then inundated downtown Newport. The river is expected to fall below flood stage by sometime Saturday afternoon. City officials have told us that until further notice, Downtown E. Broadway, Main Street, and the North Street Bridge will be closed.  They will let us know when those roads will be reopened.

The flooding has also led to complications like the water supply. Around midnight last night, Newport Utilities issued a county wide boil order. If you have Newport Utilities as a water source, you need to boil your water for three minutes before you use it for drinking water, or for things like making ice, brushing your teeth or for food prep. Bathing with the water is safe as long as you don’t get it in your mouth and swallow. Doing laundry with the water is also safe. The boil order has made things difficult for the Newport Medical Center. Hospital management is currently looking for a way to get a safe water source for the hospital.

Another issue arose overnight. The TVA early this morning issued a red alert for the Nolichucky Dam in Greene County, citing a failure of the dam could be imminent. That led to evacuations early this morning of homes and businesses in the Centerview/Bybee area. It also led to numerous bridges being closed. Those bridges that are currently closed are the US 321 bridge over the Nolichucky River just inside Greene County. The Highway 160 bridge in northern Cocke County. The Briar Thicket bridge, The highway 340 bridge over the river and the Whitesburg Road bridge.

The TVA released an update just a bit ago saying that the Nolichucky River has crested and is falling at a rate of a foot an hour. The dam is still intact at this time. The TVA sys they will soon begin assessing any damage to the dam.

Many people had to be rescued from flood waters on Friday and rescue efforts are still ongoing at this time. First Responders and Volunteers used the Cocke County Fairgrounds as a staging area this morning. Shelters were opened Friday afternoon at the Newport Community Center for those near downtown who were evacuated. Liberty Church in Cosby was set up as a shelter for those individuals south of Wilton Springs Road that were displaced from their homes. Parrottsville Elementary is being used for a shelter for those north of the North Street bridge.

There were over 4,000 people without power in Cocke County last night. As of 8:30 Saturday morning over 3,000 still remained without power. However, crews have been hard at work on that issue and as of 11am, only 763 customers were listed without power, so that situation is improving.

I-40 continues to be closed in Cocke County from Exit 435 to the state line. I-40 east is closed beginning at exit 432. Several roads are still closed as you get closer to the downtown area, so it is best to try to avoid any area near downtown at this time. Route 73 is closed from Hwy 25-70 to Interstate 40 and TDOT also has it listed as closed from I-40 south to just past the bride over the Pigeon River. I-40 is closed in North Carolina and will remain so for the foreseeable future as parts of the roadway were washed away near MM 3 & 4. I-26 is closed from Erwin to the North Carolina line as parts of that interstate were washed away by flood waters in Unicoi County. So, travel into western North Carolina at this point is nearly impossible.