Early Monday, search and rescue crews were combing through the small village of Chimney Rock, east of Asheville, where water caused by Tropical Storm Helen had nearly been destroyed. According to residents of the neighboring resort town of Lake Lure, Chimney Rock has mainly been flattened.
“Everything along the river is gone,” said Tracey Stevens, who worked at the now-defunct Chimney Rock Brewery. “What was once a town has become a river. “It’s beyond my imagination.” Workers were clearing rubble from old homes and businesses, so all entry roads into town were closed.
Early Monday, search and rescue crews were combing through the small village of Chimney Rock, east of Asheville, where water caused by Tropical Storm Helen had nearly been destroyed. According to residents of the neighboring resort town of Lake Lure, Chimney Rock has mainly been flattened.
“Everything along the river is gone,” said Tracey Stevens, who worked at the now-defunct Chimney Rock Brewery. “What was once a town has become a river. “It’s beyond my imagination.” Workers were clearing rubble from old homes and businesses, so all entry roads into town were closed. Officials did not have any information about potential fatalities, but some Lake Lure residents said they were still waiting to hear from friends in town.
Drone footage shows the old mountain hamlet heavily damaged by water, with houses washed away. Much of the debris went into Lake Lure, making the water murky brown and surrounded by destroyed homes, broken trees, and electrical lines. Jim Larson, a resident who relocated here in 2019, said he saw close friends’ businesses wash away in the storm.
Lake Lure’s pier, police station, and town hall were all destroyed. A boat was left on top of the lifeguard station. He stated the water smelled like sewage and gas. “This used to be the most beautiful, pristine water, and now no one can swim in it for years,” he informed me. Some individuals were waiting to return to their neighborhoods to check on their pets, but many sections remained closed. Lake Lure resident Cathy Maddox was eager to return home to check on her two cats and dogs. She and her husband left to check on their horse and get supplies, but she explained that authorities had closed off the region due to concerns over a crumbling bridge. “Our pets have gone 27 hours without us,” she said. As she waited, Maddox was relieved to learn she could enter her home with an EMS worker to check on her animals.
