News

Half-foot of rain closes roads, threatens homes, pushes total to record

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 28, 2018

Six to seven inches of rain through Friday morning caused flooding that closed at least 30 roads around Henderson County, led to rescues of motorists who "got in too deep too quick," forced the evacuation of homes threatened by rising waters and pushed the rainfall total for the year to an all-time record.

“All the fire departments and the rescue squad have been busy most of the day answering calls (to rescue) folks trying to drive through flooded roads, a couple of residential areas that needed to evacuate," Emergency Management Director Jimmy Brissie said Friday afternoon.

First responders evacuated eight residents of a neighborhood off Banner Farm Road threatened by high water and took them to a temporary emergency shelter at the Mills River Community Center.
“They’ve all since returned home or gone to friends’ or family’s house,” Brissie said. “Right now, we have had about 20 calls for rescues and a number of calls for well-being checks.”

Whether the worst is over "depends on where you are," he said. While the French Broad River is expected to rise through Saturday afternoon, Mud Creek at Erkwood Drive had started to fall by sundown.
“The stuff in town will continue to recede over the next 12 hours,” he said. “I think the majority of the rain has passed us.”

The flooding caused the county to activate its emergency operations center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. Brissie urged motorists to obey road closed signs and take no chances driving through high water — "turn around, don't drown."
No injuries were reported.

“We’ve had a few vehicle rescues early this morning that people got in too deep too quick,” Sheriff's Maj. Frank Stout said. “Other than that, it’s been fairly uneventful except for many flooded roadways.”

There was so much flooding along Mud Creek by mid-afternoon that motorists found it challenging to reach downtown Hendersonville from the Kanuga area and Flat Rock. Greenville Highway in front of the new Publix was closed, as is common in flood conditions, and several alternate routes — including South Grove Street, flooded by Mud Creek, and Airport Road at BRCC, flooded by King Creek — were also blocked.

WLOS-Ch. 13 reported 24-hour rainfall totals of 7.16 inches in Brevard, 5.4 inches in Mills River and 5.2 inches at Asheville Regional Airport — boosting the rainfall total for the year to an all-time record of 79.18 inches, breaking the 2013 total of 75.22 inches.

Roads flooded, closed or submerged in high water included:

Greenville Highway at Spartanburg Highway.

South Grove Street at Mud Creek.

Crail Farm Road, off Kanuga.

Bob's Creek Road at Green River Road

Andrews Road at the Lemon Hole.

Gilliam Road at the Bridge, Edneyville.

BATTLE CREEK RD AT THE RAIL ROAD TRACKS

BROOKSIDE CAMP RD NEAR THE BRIDGE.

OLD SPARTANBURG RD NEAR MAPLE VILLAGE DR

 CHIMNEY ROCK RD NEAR THE DOLLAR GENERAL, high water, NCDOT advised it would not close the road; instread would put up High Water warning signs.

SHEPHERD ST OFF SPARTANBURG HWY BEHIND BURGER KING.

COLLEGE DR AT AIRPORT AND SHEPHERD-PER METCALF AT BRCC PD

BALLENGER RIGHT PAST LAKEWOOD RV RESORT...SWIFT MOVING WATER.

KANUGA ROAD AT ERKWOOD.

MUD SLIDE COVERED HALF THE ROAD ON POT SHOALS NEAR THE POWER LINES

HOWARD GAP AT S&R AUTO.

BUTLER BRIDGE RD AT JEFFRESS RD - MILLS RIVER.

NIX RD AT CLEAR CREEKSIDE DR - MILLS RIVER.

HOWARD GAP RD AT FLETCHER PARK.

ORRS CAMP RD AND DANA ROAD.

STONEY MOUNTAIN RD AT N HARPER RD DRIVE.

214 BANNER FARM ROAD, MILLS RIVER.

WARLICK RD AT TURNPIKE RD., MILLS RIVER.

NEW HOPE RD AT POWELL ST

BANNER FARM RD, MILLS RIVER.

WILLOW RD AT RIVER RD IS FLOODED, BIG WILLOW

JACKSON PARK, CLOSED

DANA RD AND TRACY GROVE -

HOWARD GAP RD//JACKSON ROAD, FLETCHER.

BALFOUR RD AT THE WATER PLANT.

SHEPHERD RD AND AIRPORT RD.

JEFFRESS RD NEAR THE COW FIELDS, MILLS RIVER.