Due to a potential Waterville Dam break from Hurricane Helene, the downtown area of Newport, Tennessee was ordered to evacuate by Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis. The Waterville Dam, more formally known as the Walters Dam in western Northern Carolina, “suffered a catastrophic failure” according to an emergency update by Mathis on Facebook at 2:56 AM ET on Friday, September 27. He officially declared a state of emergency for the county at 3:24 PM ET.
What strained the Waterville Dam in North Carolina?
The Waterville Dam in North Carolina struggled against torrential rainfall from Hurricane Helene, now classified as a tropical storm, causing an overflow of the Pigeon River.
The dam, which is about 40 miles southeast of Newport, Tennessee, was originally declared as having a “catastrophic failure.” However, Duke Energy, the company that owns the dams, says that it has actually “not failed,” as noted by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). The company earlier stated, via local news outlet WVLT, that “Spillway gates are open at the Waterville Dam. Expect dangerous high flow conditions downstream of Waterville Dam and Walters hydro station.”
[Update – 6:00 PM ET: Duke Energy has put out a statement to WLVT that reads “Duke Energy currently has all gates open at the Waterville Dam and continues to pass water through the dam. Duke Energy can confirm that both the dam and our floodgates are performing as expected.”]
The Lake Lure Dam in North Carolina experienced similar conditions today with failure of the dam “imminent,” according to officials.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Pigeon River rose to about 27 feet at 1:00 PM ET on Friday. This is compared to just around 5.5 feet at 9:00 AM ET on Thursday, showing the intensity of the rainfall from Hurricane Helene.
A life-threatening Flash Flood Emergency was issued for Newport and Hartford by the National Weather Service, as posted on X (formerly Twitter). Fortunately, the agency said at 4:45 pm ET that there is “no longer a risk of an imminent dam failure for Walters Dam.” Still, it warns that major flooding continues, urging residents to heed evacuation orders and not to drive into flooded or closed roads.
The Newport Community Center at 433 Prospect Avenue and the Liberty Church in Cosby have been designated as evacuation centers for the flood. Other open emergency shelters are available on TEMA’s website.
The tropical storm that was once Hurricane Helene is expected to remain over Kentucky and Tennessee through to Sunday.
