Hurricane Helene has brought tornado watches, flood alerts, power outages and more destruction in its path. After it made landfall in Florida on Thursday, September 26, the tropical cyclone-turned-hurricane moved up the coast instead of veering farther west. After hitting southern states including North and South Carolina, Tennessee is now facing the storm’s wrath. The town of Newport in Cocke County is facing major flooding because the Waterville Dam had a breach.
What Happened to the Waterville Dam?
On Friday, September 27, Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis announced that the dam had failed, and he encouraged locals to evacuate.
“THE WATERVILLE DAM HAS SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE,” Mathis wrote via Facebook. “EVACUATION ALL OF DOWNTOWN NEWPORT IMMEDIATELY.”
Earlier that day, Mathis assured the public that emergency preparations had been made in anticipation of the storm’s impact.
🚨 #BREAKING: WATERVILLE DAM IN NC HAS SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE
The Mayor is ordering the town of Newport, TN to evacuate IMMEDIATELY, as it’s directly downstream from the dam.
This is incredibly dangerous, and could very easily take out the entire town if it breaks.… pic.twitter.com/gapIZJWdvg
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 27, 2024
“All county and city emergency resources are currently fully engaged in water rescue and evacuation operations,” Mathis said, according to WVLT 8. “We are still several hours from the expected high-water mark. Thank you to all of our emergency responders for their heroic efforts today and in the days to come.”
Newport, Tennessee, Suffers Flooding
I-40 East is closed starting at MM 432.
This is the Pigeon River in Cocke County at MM 439.4. pic.twitter.com/CmbxuKwmHP— Mark Nagi (@MarkNagiTDOT) September 27, 2024
Cocke County — which includes Newport — issued a state of emergency shortly after the mayor announced the dam had broken. The Waterville Dam wasn’t the only one that had a breach due to the storm; Walters Dam in Tennessee also failed.
The NWS in Nashville tweeted earlier in the day that the hurricane was going to cause heavy rain and “localized flooding.”
“Hurricane Helene has weakened to a tropical storm and is currently over far eastern TN,” the NWS wrote alongside a photo of a map tracking the storm. “It will bring periods of rain today, heavy at times through this evening. Localized flooding will be possible through tonight. Tonight and through the weekend rain will be more showery.”
Hurricane Helene’s Destructive Path
Helene’s destruction began on Thursday, September 27, in Florida. The storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, and officials have reported dozens of deaths so far. After raging through Florida’s coast, Helene moved up toward Georgia and the Carolinas. Atlanta, as a result, suffered several flooding, and parts of Tennessee have experienced heavy rainfall.