Tuckasegee River had flooded Country Girl's RV Park on Hyatt Creek Road with several feet of water by Friday morning. Above, rescue workers and workers from a local gas company pull a propane tank leaking from the water.
Jessica Webb
editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Swain County was spared the catastrophic damage that communities east of the county experienced from rising floodwaters and heavy rain and wind during Tropical Storm Helene that swept through Friday, Sept. 27.
N.C. Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency ahead of Hurricane Helene.
Approximately 37-38 households along rivers in Swain County had been displaced due to flooding along as of Tuesday. Multiple small businesses are cleaning up from the damaging flood waters.
Swain County Emergency Management Director Misty Tabor said before the storm, her agency notified Bear Hunter’s Campground, Grump Bear’s and Country Girl’s about the impending rising water. Ela Campground was also impacted.
Although initial estimates were that Tuckasegee River in Bryson City would reach 10 feet, at the peak of the storm, waters rose to 14.9 feet Friday afternoon. Water receded by the evening.
Some residents from Country Girl’s Campground were rescued by Swain County Rescue Squad on Friday morning when the river breached the shore and water quickly flooded the park.
“Bear Hunter's Campground is in the process of their cleanup,” she said Monday. “The residents that were impacted the county is providing a place for them to stay and information to contact the American Red Cross. We’ve also put in a request to the state for assistance.”
The Swain County Senior Center served as an American Red Cross emergency shelter through Sunday. Tabor said four people used the shelter and had since been provided a place to stay.
Swain County’s 911 emergency system had an ongoing outage due to the storm. With cell service impacted across the region as well, residents have been encouraged to report emergencies to their local fire department stations.
Tabor explained how 911 calls were dispatched through the outage.
“We have the state 911 phone system that provides transfers of 911 calls to anywhere in the state of North Carolina,” she said. “We have a list we can transfer calls to. Right now, they’re going to Harnett County and Harnett County is contacting our dispatch office, who can call out the responders by radio.”
The county phone system continued to be operational, so calls could be made across county agencies and to state agencies as needed during the outage. Fire stations in the county, manned primarily by volunteers, were serving as points of contact.
Flooding downtown
Downtown Bryson City experienced significant flooding near Island Street and down Everett Street on the north side of the bridge as the Tuckasegee River rose beyond the flood stage on Friday afternoon.
“For the most part, other than some flooding, we have escaped damage,” said Bryson City Mayor Tom Sutton of town on Monday.
Town of Bryson City’s water and sewer infrastructure held up. The town issued a boil water notice for 24 hours Friday until they could test the water system. Town Hall was among buildings on Everett impacted, with 2 ½ feet of water that flooded the basement, according to Sutton.
Households impacted by flooding were aided through county emergency management and American Red Cross.
Lack of communications, closures
Like much of western North Carolina, cell service was extremely limited as was internet service across Swain County beginning mid-morning Friday. It was restored across the region by Monday night.
On Friday, North Carolina Department of Transportation closed all roads in western North Carolina. On Friday, several roads in Swain were impassable due to standing flood waters on the road, including Conley’s Creek in Whittier, a section of Hyatt Creek Road, a section of Hwy 19 in Ela, and 19A was closed due to a downed power line.
By Monday, many businesses in Bryson City had reopened but were on a cash only basis, as most still had no internet or cell service. Areas of the county also experienced power outages during the storm but restoration happened relatively quickly.
Even on Tuesday, Ingles grocery store was still cash and check only and some shelves, such produce and meat, were bare. The grocery store chain’s distribution center in Swannanoa, N.C., experienced significant damage impacting supply and deliveries for the grocery store chain.
Fuel delivery was also impacted by the storm and road closures throughout the region, including I-40 at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line where the Pigeon River washed out the eastbound section of the road. Until Tuesday, I-40 East in Brevard was also closed to traffic due to landslides. On Monday morning, drivers were lining up at the fuel pumps at Shell Station and Hot Spot after they had received deliveries.
Swain County Schools and Mountain Discovery Charter School suspended instruction Thursday, Sept. 26 and are returning Thursday, Oct. 3. Southwestern Community College and Western Carolina University also suspended classes through Friday, Oct. 4.
WCU’s Mountain Heritage Day festival in Cullowhee and a 50th anniversary evening concert scheduled for Sept. 28 were also cancelled.
Swain Community Hospital closed its outpatient departments and clinics on Friday, Sept. 27 in advance of the storm.
The National Park Service National Park closed Newfound Gap Road/US 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. and visitor centers, along with many other roads, were closed in advance of the storm. It reopened Wednesday, Oct. 2.
The US Forest Service closed campgrounds, boat launches and developed recreation sites and roads in both the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests ahead of the storms.
Coming together
Volunteers kept the fire stations open throughout the situation— helping as needed. For some, this was simply by serving as a point of communication.
“We do appreciate all the volunteers that have helped and have been there since this started and around the clock, that is a big deal for us,” said Tabor.
Family Resource Center, located on Hughes Branch Road, has been serving as a donation and distribution site for residents who may have lost their homes and belongings.
The event had people lending a helping hand in other ways as well.
On Monday, several churches and Restoration House coordinated a taco salad meal that was served from the Bryson City Presbyterian Church. Also, that evening, Swain High School athletes donned gloves and joined in the cleanup effort for those businesses with flood damage on Everett Street.
Feed America First brought a load of meals, water bottles and more resources to Darnell Farms on Tuesday. Michelle Fenton, Darnell Farms associate, said they had 14 pallets of ready-made meals and water that had all been given out by mid-afternoon. They were anticipating another trailer to come Friday.
Swain County Schools provided sacked lunches this week although schools were closed.
Several people responded to requests to help lend fans and dehumidifiers for downtown businesses impacted. Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was also providing free hot meals from the depot this week.
Buttermilk Farms Antiques & Auction is serving as a hurricane relief location and is collecting donations from pet food to hygiene products, water, canned goods, diapers and baby formula.
Relief
On Sunday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a Major Disaster Declaration for Buncombe, Clay, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania and Yancey counties along with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Swain County has yet to be included in areas for FEMA assistance. According to Tabor, the county was approved for Category B pre-storm protective measures but that it’s not unusual for a county with less catastrophic damage to not be included in the initial declaration. This has happened in the past and North Carolina Emergency Management is currently working to see we are added, she said, petitioning to FEMA for a federal declaration.
Similarly, Swain County is not yet included in a list for Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits although it may be added at a later date, according to a press release from the N.C. Department of Commerce.