Cooper Declares State Of Emergency For Western NC Following Mudslides, Flooding In Multiple Counties

Justin Pryor,

NORTH CAROLINA — Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency Wednesday afternoon for the western part North Carolina after heavy rains caused mudslides and flooding throughout several counties overnight.

WATCH LIVE: Gov. Cooper and state officials are providing an update on the state's response to Subtropical Storm #Alberto, and recent flooding across several counties. #wccb #ncnews #ncwx #ncgov #weatherwise

Posted by WCCB, Charlotte's CW on Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Portions of I-40 east of Asheville have been closed do to hazardous conditions caused by flooding and mudslides. Evacuations were also issued for downtown Old Fort and a community near Lake Tahoma in McDowell County. Those evacuations were lifted around 10:30am.

“Our emergency response and transportation crews have been working through the night to keep North Carolinians safe as conditions deteriorate,” Governor Cooper said. “But this storm isn’t yet over. I’m urging people to keep a close eye on forecasts and flood watches, and asking drivers to use caution especially when travelling in our western counties.”

State officials say four to seven inches of rain have fallen within the past 24 hours across parts of the mountains, which added to the already heavily saturated ground. Since May 15th, areas along the Blue Ridge have had 10-20 inches of rain.

Weather officials are expecting showers and thunderstorms to continue throughout the coming days. This means the threat for flash flooding will remain across mountain areas, as well as the potential for mudslides. The increased water levels also raise concerns about the stability of mountain slopes and several dams.

More than 200 people have sought refuge in one of six shelters. Most of the evacuees are staying in one of three shelters open in McDowell County, but other shelters are open in Buncombe, Polk and Rutherford counties.

More than 6,500 power outages have been reported across western counties, with most occurring in Henderson, McDowell Cleveland, Buncombe, Swain and Transylvania.

State transportation officials have also closed roads in Avery, Buncombe, McDowell, Watauga, Henderson, Rutherford, Macon, Polk, Mitchell, Transylvania, Gaston, Catawba and Iredell counties.