BOONE, N.C. (WAVY) — Massive flooding due to Helene has rocked western North Carolina and other areas across the southeastern U.S. on Friday.
The flooding is major in places like Boone, North Carolina, the home of Appalachian State University, where the region has seen up to around 20 inches of rain in spots in the last 48 years. The flooding has essentially shut down travel in the region and it’s expected to continue into the weekend, Gov. Roy Cooper said in an update on Friday morning.
“This is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of western North Carolina,” said Cooper, who pointed out that the region had already been experiencing lots of rain recently.
Cooper is asking North Carolinians to stay vigilant, and not travel unless absolutely necessary.
“The end of the rain is not the end of the threat. This fierce storm will move out of our state in the next 24 hours, but the danger will not be over,” Cooper said. “… people in western North Carolina should consider all roads closed unless you are seeking higher ground.”
Cooper said Helene is causing life-threatening flash flooding, “numerous” landslides, downed tree and widespread power outages for the western part of the state.
The conditions have led to the cancellation of App State’s football game against Liberty, originally scheduled for Saturday. The game has not been rescheduled.
The flooding has inundated roads small and large throughout the greater region, and even washed out a portion of I-40 east at the North Carolina/Tennessee line.
NCDOT shared this photo of U.S. 74 on Friday morning.
Over in Tennessee, more than 50 people were stranded on the roof of a hospital due to floodwaters around Unicoi County.
Helene made landfall overnight as a category 4 hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida and has been linked to the deaths of at least 22 people in the Southeast as of Friday morning. Heavy rain and flash flooding continues to remain a threat for most of the Southeast. It’s expected to turn west toward Kentucky and Tennessee Friday night into Saturday as a post-tropical low.
Read more about the storm on WAVY’s weather page.
