Quickly rising Asheville floodwaters sent Biltmore area scrambling

Flooding in Biltmore Village disrupts local business Business owners in Biltmore Village share concerns after the area was completely flooded by heavy rains.

ASHEVILLE — When David Ross got the call early Wednesday that the Swannanoa River was rising, the Biltmore Village construction company owner, whose building sits along one of the area's lowest spots, knew the drill.

"Believe it or not, we keep sandbags here to have them ready," said Ross, standing at the railroad tracks on a Biltmore Avenue, a normally jam-packed boulevard eerily absent of vehicle traffic at 10:30 a.m.

He and employees were gazing at the sandbags they had just piled on the doors of his building at 25 and 30 Hendersonville Road, the home of the well-known Rezaz restaurant on the first floor with his Falcon Construction and Development offices above.

The waters of the Swannanoa and its tributary, Sweeten Creek, rose fast Wednesday morning, sending merchants and employees scrambling to floodproof shops.

Some were less lucky and faced already flooded buildings with cancellations and weeks, possibly, of cleanup before being able to reopen.

But while the flood's speed surprised many, most — both longtime merchants and newcomers — knew the area could see much worse.

"In 2004, it pushed open the warehouse door on that side," said Jack Buckner, gesturing at the far side of the 60,000-square-foot Antique Tobacco Barn, where he has rented a sales space for more than 20 years.

"Then on the other side it ripped open a hole in the building and rose up to those windows," he said gesturing toward a 6-foot-high level.

Owners, managers and sellers were surveying damage Wednesday and trying to dry out goods that had marks from the nearly two feet of water that swept through the building.

"It's not as bad as you think," Buckner said surveying his items. "It's salvageable. In 2004, there was very little salvageable."

The big one

In 2004, a duo of tropical storms hit the region and inundated parts of Asheville. The Biltmore Village area was one of the hardest hit, with water covering buildings and sweeping away cars.

Isaac West, owner of Biltmore Barber Shop, said it nearly ruined the business.

"There was at least 4 1/2 feet of water in the shop and everything inside was completely obliterated. Luckily, we didn’t have to rebuild," West said.

Some blamed a dam release by the city from its main North Fork Reservoir, though city officials say that only added inches to a foot of water.

The flood caused a rethinking of how businesses operate and how new structures could be built — those new buildings would be higher with ground floors used for parking and upper levels for retail or other uses, similar to beach construction.

"We’ve all learned things, we’ve worked with the city and with the North Carolina DOT on the ‘what-ifs’ which has been very informative," said Anthony Coggiola owner of The Cantina restaurant.

Coggiola said that the city requires gutters and drains be cleared by building managers. For the last two weeks, he’s gone to storm drains and gutters surrounding his property in the mornings and evenings to remove debris and make sure water can easily drain.

A quick rise

Through the morning water was flowing but wasn't rising high, merchants said, but then water levels jumped up quickly.

Coggiola said be believed water released from the reservoir was behind the sudden rise.

“We’ve been working with the city and we’ve all been communicating. All the business owners are outside going through this together, but you just can’t stop a weather anomaly," he said.

City officials have said they are managing the nearly full reservoir by letting water that comes in flow back out. They communicated with business owners Tuesday, warning them and other residents about dam releases, spokeswoman Polly McDaniel said.

Merchants witnessed a rise in two hours, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., of at least a foot, bringing water from Lodge Street in Biltmore Village nearly to the railroad tracks.

On the north side of the Swannanoa at Zoe's Kitchen, a Mediterranean restaurant built in 2011, its flood-resistant construction has it perched on a rise.

That gave employees a good view of the river as it roared out of its banks in the morning. Manager Tabitha Bryant said while the building was safe, a food courier had to act quickly to save a van in the parking lot near the river.

“He started driving and felt the water move it sideways,” Bryant said.

Her Texas-based boss urged her to close, “but I wanted to get out as many catering orders as I could," she said.

As they darkened the lights to send employees home, the streets around them filled up with water.

Quickly back down, but some places still swamped

Almost as quickly as the water rose, it receded, allowing the reopening of Biltmore Avenue by the early afternoon.

But some streets remained inundated, blocking cars and disrupting businesses.

Asheville Gymnastics owner Kermit Belton parked at the edge of floodwaters on Swannanoa River Road, looking east toward his business, to which he had no access.

"We have a show tonight, a kids' recital," Belton said. He also had a van parked in front of the building and was worried if the water had pushed it away.

Belton, like others, said he would try to drive around to get a view of his business. But the recital would have to wait, he said.

"I think at this time, I will just push it back until tomorrow to the same time," he said.

Just down the road at the Antique Tobacco Barn, the wait to reopen would be longer, said manager Doug Begeman. He and owners were working to dry out the warehouse.

"With damage, it's hard to quantify that at this point," Begeman said.

In terms of how long they would need to reopen, "maybe two weeks," he said as he hurried back inside.