Heavy rain in the Fairview, Bat Cave, Gerton area in North Carolina on Memorial Day resulted in flooding and several roads were washed out, including US-74 Alt. near Fairview. NC-9 had to be closed due to flooding at Bat Cave. The people in the Bat Cave area (between Chimney Rock and Asheville) just can’t get a break.

It must be frightening when it rains now in the areas that were severely damaged by the flooding caused by up to 30 inches of rain that Hurricane Helene brought in September 2024. I imagine the residents will have flashbacks and feel panicky, especially during a downpour, for the rest of their lives.

Lake Lure was opened to the public just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. The lake was full of debris after the hurricane. If not for the hard and tedious work of the Army Corp of Engineers, local companies, and local volunteers, the lake could not have been drained, cleaned up, and refilled. The tourist Town of Lake Lure is now open for business!

Visitors are welcome to return to Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Bat Cave, and all the other little towns and nooks and crannies in the mountains of North Carolina. All the businesses have not been rebuilt, and thousands of residents are still living in temporary homes, but the region is sorely in need of the tourist dollars it heavily depends on. So, if you can afford the gasoline, plan a trip to western North Carolina.

In Asheville…

I received an exciting email on May 20 from Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville. Its buildings were wiped out by Hurricane Helene, but its work has continued nonstop as the organization has looked for a new location. The May 20 email read in part: “Brother Wolf Animal Rescue has officially purchased a building to renovate into our rebuilt Adoption Center! We’ve been waiting a long time to say that sentence, and it feels AMAZING to share it with YOU, our caring community who have gotten us here!

“Located on Tunnel Road, near downtown Asheville and known as the former home of Black Dome Mountain Sports, the building will become a vibrant, high-impact space dedicated to saving lives and connecting animals with the people who love them….

“While Brother Wolf has continued to operate as a foster-based organization after the loss of our campus to floodwaters, this rebuilt Adoption Center will expand our ability to serve at a larger scale.”

In Morganton…

A large supermarket in Morganton, NC was in the news again last week because it is still sitting empty and closed since it was flooded during the hurricane.

I-40 and other roads…

Just a reminder… I-40 near the Tennessee border is still just one lane in each direction with a 35 mile-per-hour speed limit until reconstruction can be completed through the Pigeon River Gorge in 2028.

The NCDOT Helene Recovery Dashboard can be accessed at https://www.ncdot.gov/helene-recovery/helene-dashboard/Pages/default.aspx. There, you can find total cost of damages, how much has been spent, and how much has been reimbursed by the U.S. Government. (This just reflects dames to roads and bridges.)

The Blue Ridge Parkway…

Also, sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway remain closed. Check for frequent updates online at https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm.

Janet

All history is local, but no history is just local