How the Western North Carolina flooding unfolded

ASHEVILLE — Rain is expected to continue in Western North Carolina for the rest of the week, potentially adding on to the heavy flooding already caused by remnants of subtropical storm Alberto.

The hazardous conditions shut down roads, delayed school and prompted evacuations in several parts of WNC. Rivers have reached high levels but have yet to crest, according to data from the National Weather Service, while flood-prone areas such as Biltmore Village were seeing rising water levels.

Several NWS warnings, watches and advisories remain in effect. Gov. Roy Cooper will declare a state of emergency for the area.

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Alberto flooding: Asheville, West North Carolina faces more rain from lingering storm

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Views of WNC flooding: Remnants of Alberto bring heavy rain

Road closures in Asheville and surrounding areas on I-40 due to flood watch

Cooper to declare state of emergency: 'Storm isn't over yet'

Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statement saying he will declare a state of emergency for WNC.

The declaration allows the state to coordinate storm response and prepare for any additional impacts, according to a news release. Cooper also will issue a transportation waiver to expedite the movement of utility vehicles and others engaged in relief efforts.

"Our emergency response and transportation crews have been working through the night to keep North Carolinians safe as conditions deteriorate," 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 traveling in our western counties."

The state deployed more than 50 search and rescue technicians overnight, according to the release. More than 200 people stayed in one of the six open shelters.

Buncombe County announces park closures

Buncombe County Recreation Services said the following parks are closed:

Hominy Valley Park

Alexander River Park

Bent Creek River Park

Corcoran River Park

Glen Bridge River Park

Hominy Creek River Park

Ledges Whitewater River Park

Walnut Island River Park

Karpen Soccer Fields

The Buncombe County Sports Park in Enka, Charles D. Owen Park in Swannanoa, Collier Cove Nature Preserve in Arden and Lake Julian Park in Arden are open.

Blue Ridge Parkway sees closures

Rain caused trees to topple across the Blue Ridge Parkway, closing the roadway Wednesday from Milepost 382 near the Folk Art Center in Asheville to Milepost 355 at N.C. 80. Parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon said park staff are assessing potential hazard trees and removing fallen trees.

The parkway is also closed from Mileposts 305-298 while repairs continue on the Linn Cove Viaduct. Heavy rainfall also forced closure of the original detour route on a section of U.S. 221 around the viaduct due to a road washout between Linville and Blowing Rock.

The Nuwati and Cragway trails at the nearby Grandfather Mountain State Park are closed indefinitely until repairs can be made.

Mount Mitchell State Park is open, but the main access from Asheville, the Blue Ridge Parkway, is closed up to the park’s entrance at Milepost 355.

Lake James State Park in McDowell County is open, however the mountain bike trails and the swim beach at the Paddy's Creek Area are closed due to flooding.

Chimney Rock State Park in Rutherford County is closed at the Chimney Rock attraction entrance after a retaining wall in its upper parking lot collapsed Saturday. The Rumbling Bald access is open.

Outages reported in WNC

The latest numbers for power outages in some WNC counties, according to Duke Energy as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday:

Buncombe: 421

McDowell: 401

Henderson: 461

Main Biltmore entrance closed; destination remains open

Biltmore Estate visitors were being directed to enter through a Biltmore Forest entrance after the destination shut down its front entrance due to rising water.

"The estate is open for guests, though a section of our entrance road along the bank of the Swannanoa River is flooded, and it is unsafe for vehicle traffic," said LeAnn Donnelly, a senior public relations manager for Biltmore Estate. "While we are addressing this situation, guests will be directed to an alternate entrance to begin their visit with us.

"Biltmore staff will be on hand to direct guests to that entrance."

Road closures and more rain to come

Heavy rains across the mountains and foothills received at least 5 inches of rain on Tuesday night, with continued scattered showers expected throughout the week. The rain is expected to gain momentum once again by nightfall, according to the National Weather Service, with many areas getting at least half-inch of rain and as much as 2 inches.

In Asheville, several roads adjacent to a river were closed because of flooding, according to spokeswoman Polly McDaniel:

Swannanoa River Road from Biltmore Avenue to South Tunnel Road

A portion of Sweeten Creek Road between Swan and Reed streets in Biltmore Village

Thompson Street

All of Azalea Road, from U.S. 70 to Swannanoa River Road

A portion of Riverside Drive near the train trestle, near 350 Riverside Drive

Carrier Park is also closed, McDaniel said in a release early Wednesday. The WNC Nature Center is closed due to road closings leading to the center. The animals are safe.

Meadow Road between Victoria and Amboy are closed, according to the Asheville Fire Department at 8:40 a.m.

In Fletcher, Bill Moore Community Park (formerly Fletcher Community Park) has been closed until further notice.

The WNC Nature Center is closed due to road closures leading to the center. The animals are safe, the city said.

MANNA FoodBank is closed due to flooding. Scheduled food deliveries have been moved to Thursday for Henderson, Haywood, Swain and Graham counties. McDowell County deliveries originally scheduled for Thursday have been moved to Monday.

A list of road closures can be found here.

Flooding prompts Black Mountain evacuations

Black Mountain firefighters evacuated about 75 people late Tuesday night, including 20 residents of the Soundview Family Care Home, Deputy Chief John Wilson said.

Additional residents of the Portmanvilla Mobile Home were evacuated for a second time on Tuesday, as were residents along Alpine Shadows Lane, Flat Creek Road and Armory Road off Blue Ridge Road. There were no reported injuries anywhere, Wilson said.

“The creeks came up very fast,” Wilson said. “We patrolled a lot of them an hour before (at about 9 p.m.) and they were fine.”

From midnight on, firefighters continued to answer calls of downed trees and powerlines, he said.

Floodwaters by Wednesday morning had driven 51 people to an emergency shelter at First Baptist Church in Swannanoa, Black Mountain town officials have said. County emergency officials told town officials that the east end of Buncombe County sustained the worst of the rain damage.

Emergency officials told alderman Ryan Stone that two of the flood gates have been opened at the Burnette Reservoir, which supplies Asheville with most of its drinking water. Cherry Street in downtown Black Mountain sustained some water damage, town officials said.

Residents reported road closures, high water and/or mudslides on several streets in Black Mountain, including Allen Mountain Road and Blue Ridge Road and Suwanee and Texas roads in Montreat. In Black Mountain, the baseball and softball fields in Veterans Park were covered by at least a foot of standing water after the Swannanoa River crested its bank along the disc golf course.

The dam at Lake Susan in Montreat seems to be fine, said Tanner Pickett, spokesman for the Montreat Conference Center, which owns the lake. During conditions like these, the center monitors the dam along with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which as of late morning May 30 had not contacted it with any concerns, Pickett said.

Flat Creek has laid waste to Robert Lake Park in Montreat, however, he said. Just one week before the conference center’s summer season begins, flooding at Flat Creek had destroyed one park bridge, made a second bridge impassable, washed several picnic tables away and undermined a concrete sidewalk – all after the center had spruced up the park for the summer season, Pickett said.

“The park is closed to the public, and it’s likely that it will stay that way a while while we assess damage and determine what needs to happen, he said. Additionally in Montreat, Calvin Trail to Montreat Campground is impassable.

Montreat has had several mudslides along Suwannee Drive, town clerk Angie Murphy said. Several roads were inaccessible, and as of 10:30 a.m., the town had already cleared downed tree and clogged storm drains to help residents get out of their driveways, she said. Murphy was no aware of any medical emergencies, nor damage to houses along Flat Creek, which had jumped its banks.

Outlying counties see flooding; shelters open

McDowell County is taking a heavy hit, said Harry Gerapetritis of the National Weather Service, but residents could see the pressure alleviate as the tropical storm rages across WNC.

"One bright side is the heavier rain will be focused on the south towards the Georgia line and across the Smokies, which will relieve a little pressure on the eastern slopes," Gerapetritis said.

An evacuation order for residents near McDowell's Lake Tahoma Dam was canceled this morning after it was deemed safe by an engineer.

Campers staying along the north shore of Lake James in McDowell should be aware of a potentially dangerous situation, reported North Carolina Emergency Management Systems. Lake James is expected to rise and may flood its north shore and campers should be prepared to implement their emergency plan, the emergency response system stated.

The Charlotte Fire Department said Wednesday it is sending two, 16-man swift water rescue teams to McDowell to help clean-up and rescue efforts.

Macon County officials said spillway gates were operating at the Nantahala Dam to release water because of excessive levels, but there is no problem with the dam.

American Red Cross is operating four area shelters, as of 1 p.m. Wednesday:

Swannanoa First Baptist Church, 503 E. Park St., Swannanoa

Glenwood Baptist Church, 155 Glenwood Baptist Church Rd., Marion

Bill Creek Baptist Church, 1475 Bills Creek Road, Lake Lure

Polk County Middle School

A shelter operating out of the Marion YMCA at 348 Grace Corpening Drive has been placed on standby after residents who evacuated were allowed to return home. The shelter may reopen if needed, the Red Cross said.

McDowell County Department of Social Services also opened two emergency shelters to house displaced families, including children waiting to be placed in foster care.

People may check shelter availability and whether a shelter is open on the Red Cross Emergency App. It may be downloaded via the mobile phone app store, or text “GETEMERGENCY” to 90999.

Rivers to crest beginning today

As of 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service reported the following river levels:

French Broad River at Blantyre will peak at 19 feet on Thursday, May 31, with moderate flooding

Swannanoa River at Biltmore will peak today at 14 feet, greatly tapering off starting Thursday

French Broad River at Asheville will peak at 10½ feet late Wednesday evening through Thursday, with moderate flooding

French Broad River near Marshall will peak at 9 feet late Wednesday

French Broad River near Hot Springs will peak today at 6 feet

Black Mountain News staff contributed to this report.