North Carolina was hit by the heavy rainfall which was caused by the tropical storm Helene on 27th September 2024. The rain cause leads to heavy distractions and damages the lives of many people. The major reason was the closure of the 2 mains dams Interstate 40 and Interstate 26.
The heavy rainfall was measured approx. 30 cm of rain fell in the NC. The rain was falling for several days which was sufficient to make the disaster. Till now 11 deaths have been caused by the Helene storm.
Helene Storm is considered to be strong with the max speed (174 KPH) which makes the North Carolina roads closed for several days because of the dangerous travel on the state. Interstate 40 was closed in Asheville and Interstate Dam 26 was also closed near Hendersonville.
WHY the Lake Lure Dam failed?
The dam was not considered to have failed, as it was an aged dam and considered to be a “heavy hazard”. Hurricane Helene damages various places in South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia in the US.
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The officials say that the reason was “Water caused erosion on both sides of the dam abutments but it was not undermined.”
The following are the possible reasons that can be considered to be the failure of Lake Lure-:
- The age and the condition of the dam were not good as it was old and was under “High Hazard”. It also has not gone under heavy repairs for a long time.
- The dam was heavily hit by various storms and heavy rainfall which transformed the dam into a weak dam.
- Hurricane Helene was also the reason the heavy rainfall for several days made the dam weak, which caused the dam to overwhelm the capacity.
Note: On Sunday afternoon, the people of Lake Lure declared the dam to be stable via a Facebook post.
Where is the Lake Lure Dam?
The old Lake Lure dam is located in Lake Lure, state of North Carolina. There is a story behind the name of Lake Lure is attributed to the wife of Dr Morse’s wife Elizabeth. The height that is protecting the area near the lake lure is 120 feet with the dam. The dam which was hit by the storm hardly is now stable with the hard work of the officials, and the people of Lake Lure.
Restoration after Lake Lure dam failure in North Carolina
After Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina the officials were working hard to overcome the problem created by the storm. The 11 deaths that were caused by the storm are still in the count. The precautions were taken even when the storm was at its peak.
- The roads and the highways were closed and were hit by the storm until they were repaired.
- The airlifted of food and water to the affected areas.
- Immediate repair of the dams started
- Relief programs and government support.
Tropical storm Hurricane Helene hits the US in various locations causing huge damage in terms of life, and property. One of the oldest dams in North Carolina was hardly affected as it was a height of 120 feet and was in a “heavy hazard” is now stable which causes various damage to the property and the lives.
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Conclusion
In the end, this news teaches us that we need to be prevention is better than cure. The failure of Lake Lure Dam is not just due to the storm but it was previously damaged which caused the overflow of the rainwater. Hurricane Helene hit the US at its peak speed which distracted lives and damaged the property in the overall state.
