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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
How Hurricane Helene reshaped Lake Lure
It's hard to forget the images from Lake Lure following the destruction of Hurricane Helene. Over 22 inches of rain fell across the Lake Lure Dam watershed, leading to catastrophic damage to the town and surrounding areas. 'We had water getting funneled down through, it was coming around, over top of the bridges here, carrying with it that construction debris, businesses from up in Chimney Rock,' said Dustin Waycaster, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director for the town of Lake Lure. 'We had campers, cars, propane tanks.' Waycaster told Channel 9's Danielle Miller he had no idea how bad it would be. 'This storm was just so unprecedented, like, even with that plan in place, it was flooding and debris that we've never had to deal with before,' he said. Eight months later, Lake Lure Mayor Carol Pritchett says the town has made significant strides in rebuilding. 'We're trying to make sure that as we repair the damage that was done from this disaster, we're also doing whatever we can to make it better, so that the next time we won't have this much disaster,' Pritchett said. One thing that's been a constant during recovery efforts in Lake Lure is the US Army Corps of Engineers, which estimates that 1 million cubic yards of debris still needs to be removed from the lake. That's about the amount of 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Along with dredging Lake Lure, Mayor Pritchett says there are plans to widen where the Broad River meets the lake. 'It was sort of like a nozzle when everything came down the river and shot it out with such great force. So just by widening some of that would slow that down and that would just be a huge, that would be a huge improvement,' Pritchett said. The Lake Lure Dam is also a central part of recovery efforts. While the 100-year-old dam itself did not fail during the storm, Mayor Pro-Tem Dave DiOrio says the town is working on plans to replace it so it can even better handle future weather events. 'Time moves on and we know more about weather patterns and we know more about the potential for flooding and this dam just doesn't meet the normal, modern standards of what we'd want with a dam both with capacity to absorb a flood,' said DiOrio. Helene's flooding rain not only put a spotlight on the need for a stronger dam, but also the need for a better protected communications infrastructure. The town built emergency sirens after the flood of 1996. Jim Proctor watched that flood from his backyard and says they've learned even more since then about how important the lake is for communication in western North Carolina. 'The main trunk line for internet and telephone between Charlotte and Asheville goes through the Hickory Nut Gorge; 90% of the connectivity between Charlotte and Asheville went away from Helene,' Proctor said. Proctor says plans are in place to bury new lines in the roads that are being constructed and to reset emergency management towers so they don't wash away during a flood. The town also hopes to build a new cell tower, so people can stay in touch during these big weather events. 'We'll build it back and it's coming back, but it's just a process we gotta work through,' Waycaster said. (VIDEO: Lake Lure Dam no longer at imminent risk of failure, officials say)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Lake Lure: Long road to recovery
LAKE LURE, N.C. (WSPA) – 'Immediately, we had no services. We had no sewer. That was probably the worst part of it. We had no water,' Carol Pritchett, Mayor of Lake Lure, said. 'The water was restored more quickly because we have wells. So, that was probably just a matter of a few weeks. Lack of any cell service was tantamount.' It wasn't just Lake Lure that saw its own debris collect in the Broad River, but also from nearby towns as well. Just a few miles up the river, at Chimney Rock and Bat Cave, is where over half a million cubic yards of non-natural debris ended up flooding across Lake Lure. Just a few days later is when natural debris of another 500,000 cubic yards ended up covering that non-natural debris. It was shortly after Hurricane Helene was gone that the US Army Corps of Engineers showed up to begin the cleaning process. Makenzie Leonard, with the US Army Corps, said the contractors are working diligently to get everything cleared. 'The Corps of Engineers and our contractors are out here seven days a week, 12 hours a day, trying to get as much of this done as quickly as possible so that life can go, back to normal for as many folks as possible.' Even after over 230 days of digging and cleaning, they are only 43% of the way done with waterway clearing, including creeks, rivers, and lakes. Lake Lure typically has a season that runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Mayor Pritchett said that due to the cleaning, the lake will not be open this year. 'We as a town wanted everybody to know, we need to focus on all the other wonderful things there are to do besides just the lake.' Some of those things include bed and breakfasts and resorts like Lake Lure Inn and Rumbling Bald. Pritchett is also very happy with another nearby feature. 'The trails are one of them. We have beautiful trails. We did have landslides on some of the trails. We've worked hard and we've had a lot of volunteers from, like, Carolina Conservancy to help us get rid of that and restore the trails. And so those are open for people now.' Pritchett strives to learn from Helene and learn what can be done in the future for whenever the next natural disaster strikes. 'Our emergency management team was prepared as well as anybody could possibly be for what you envisioned might happen. But we're going to capitalize on what we know now.' So, as Lake Lure continues to be cleaned, Pritchett invites travelers to the area. 'We would love to have people come here. We really would. And it's perfectly safe. And we are very dedicated to ensuring that we're not going to promote anything for tourists to come that's not safe.' Mayor Pritchett also said that the water is constantly tested and is safe. And while some of the beach areas may be open, you still cannot get in the water just yet. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Federal officials advance plan to brace Boston from sea level rise
This week, the Corps launched a series of public meetings in Boston neighborhoods to get early feedback on exactly where those barriers ought to eventually be built. The flood projects will likely cost north of $10 billion — assuming the estimated price tags to protect other similarly sized coastal cities such as San Francisco and New York are indicative of Boston's future. They will also require congressional approval and funding, a possibly unpredictable endeavor given President Trump's dramatic cuts to federal funding. Advertisement The agency anticipates completing the Boston study and requesting funds from Congress between 2028 and 2029. The construction of the projects likely won't be finished until about 2040. Years ago, a specific geographic challenges and can be built piece by piece until the whole city is protected. Advertisement That strategy — called 'Climate Ready Boston' — provided the basis for the federal government's involvement, said Jeff Herzog, a program manager for the US Army Corps of Engineers and lead planner for the agency's Boston study. 'It's going to be a neighborhood-by-neighborhood solution,' Herzog said during a meeting Tuesday night in Charlestown. The city has already begun to build berms and elevated parks on city-owned properties, focusing on areas that are currently at risk of flooding or will be within the next 10 years. The cost of fortifying the entire 47-mile-long coast for the rest of this century, however, requires more financial resources, as well as regulatory authority, than the municipal government can provide. 'The Corps has been looking at the risk that Boston faces due to increasing sea level rise and storm surge,' said Chris Osgood, director of the Office of Climate Resilience for the City of Boston, during the Charlestown meeting. 'It's that report that unlocks the opportunity for federal funding to be able to advance those projects in the 2030s and beyond.' Both the city and federal strategies will design barriers to withstand at least 40 inches, or more than 3 feet, of sea level rise by the end of the century. That would likely protect the city from sea level rise in 2100, assuming about 2 degrees of global warming, according to a Advertisement However, there's still a chance 40 inches won't be high enough: Depending on the planet's ability to cut climate-warming emissions and depending on how glaciers in Antarctica react to continued warming, sea levels could be higher by then. In Charlestown, the federal government is considering flood barriers along the shoreline by the Navy Yard, near the Little Mystic channel, and near Ryan Playground in north Charlestown. The flood protections could be a mound of earth, a raised harborwalk, a vertical floodwall, or an elevated roadway. The neighborhood's development pushes very close to the water, so there is not enough room for 'nature-based' protections, such as planting or protecting a marsh, Herzog said. Neighborhood meetings will continue through the end of the summer. By early next year, the agency will draft a plan for what and where to build. The public can weigh in on those plans, and eventually, the proposal will be submitted to Congress as a request for funds. Most large national engineering projects like this are typically 65 percent funded by the federal government and 35 percent funded by local entities. The Trump administration has cut huge amounts of funding for climate initiatives, and several other coastal cities are similarly developing multibillion-dollar requests for coastal infrastructure projects. Still, Herzog said he feels confident that such engineering projects will continue to receive bipartisan support. 'The administration has invested heavily in coastal storm risk management,' Herzog said. '[They have] demonstrated over the years — on a bipartisan level — that they are committed to community resilience.' Advertisement While the Corps' study will focus on engineering projects, Herzog said that the federal government would also consider relocation for high-risk areas of Boston, a strategy known as managed retreat. 'It would be irresponsible for us not to [consider retreat],' he said at the Charlestown meeting. After presenting the early plan for Charlestown, the Corps will turn its focus to Dorchester, East Boston, South Boston, and downtown later this summer. Erin Douglas can be reached at
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Swim beaches at multiple lakes closed for high water and debris
Multiple swim beaches at lakes around the area are currently closed due to high water and debris from storms earlier this week. According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, all swim beaches at Norfork Lake and Bull Shoals Lake which are maintained by the engineers are closed. Three beaches at Beaver Lake are also closed, as of Wednesday, May 21. The entire list of swim beaches is listed below: Beaver LakeHickory Creek Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debrisWar Eagle Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debrisHorseshoe Bend DAY USE AREA Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debrisDam Site Lake Campground Swim Beach – OPEN Dam Site Lake DAY USE AREA Swim Beach – OPENIndian Creek Swim Beach – OPEN Lost Bridge North Swim Beach- OPEN Rocky Branch DAY USE AREA Swim Beach- OPEN Prairie Creek Swim Beach- OPEN Horseshoe Bend Campground Swim Beach- OPEN Blue Mountain LakeWaveland Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: E. Coli Norfork LakeBidwell Point Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debrisGamaliel Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debris Panther Bay Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debrisQuarry DAY USE AREA Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debrisRobinson Point Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debris Cranfield Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: Construction Bull Shoals LakeBuck Creek Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debrisHWY 125 Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debrisLakeview Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debris Lead Hill Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debris Oakland Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debris Theodosia Park Swim Beach – CLOSED – Reason: High water/debris You can also visit Missouri's Department of Natural Resources page and Arkansas Department of Health page for more swim beaches that are in the area. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
20 parks to close on Lake Lanier
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages Lake Lanier, tells Channel 2 Action News that it is planning to close more than 20 lakeside parks due to government budget cuts. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'I hate to hear that they're closing them. Sorry to hear that,' said boater John Howkins. Lake Lanier has 76 recreational areas. The US Army Corps of Engineers operates 37 parks and campgrounds, 10 marinas, and Lake Lanier Islands. It leases out 40 parks and campgrounds to local governments and other organizations. It isn't yet known if the parks slated for closure are Corps-operated or leased, and if there is a timeline for closings. 'We really like coming to Lake Lanier. We love exploring the parks and hanging out. It's a beautiful area. The closing of parks really does bother me, because a lot of people enjoy these parks. They really like coming out here. It's a great place for kids to come out and play, too,' said visitor Billy Brown. TRENDING STORIES: 'Cheers' star George Wendt dies This metro Atlanta city is ranked No. 1 on new 'Best Places to Live in the U.S.' list Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms officially announces run for Georgia governor The US Army Corps of Engineers had complained in the past about the rising costs of staffing and maintaining park recreational areas. One boater said that with the new emphasis on cutting federal expenditures, it makes sense for the USACE to shift that responsibility and a financial burden to local governments. 'With the cuts in the present administration, they're probably going to leave the counties and states to take over a lot of these. I don't know how it's going to work out in the long run, but I guess we will see,' Greg Burke told Channel 2's Tom Regan. One viewer contacted Channel 2 Action News and said that Two Mile Creek Park on Lake Lanier in Forsyth County was closed Tuesday, although that has not been confirmed. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
