Hurricane Helene Damages Bridges, Shuts Down West North Carolina (Photos)
Hurricane Helene left historic levels of damage in the Southeastern U.S., with federal disaster declarations in six states.
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State departments of transportation scrambled over the weekend to clear up damage from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida on September 27 as a Category 4 storm.
A September 30 report from The Weather Channel put the death toll at 102, with 2 million homes still without power.
Total damage is estimated at $15 billion to over $100 billion, according to a September 30 Reuters report. Thirty people alone were killed in Buncombe County in western North Carolina.
On September 28, the Federal Emergency Management Administration granted emergency declarations for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee to assist with preparation and response efforts.
Western North Carolina Roads Still Closed
As of the morning of September 30, North Carolina DOT reported that hundreds of roads in the state had problems related to the hurricane, with I-40 remaining impassable in multiple locations and I-26 closed at the Tennessee state line.
Several events noted over the weekend by NCDOT included a mudslide on I-40 near Old Fort in McDowell County; floodgates opened at Oxford Dam over Lake Hickory; and water encroaching on the NC 16 bridge at the Alexander/Catawba county line.
On September 29, NCDOT posted to Facebook that residents should consider every road in the western portion of the state closed.
A screenshot from an NCDOT video showing the I-40 washout near the Tennessee state line.NCDOT
A flooded portion of US 70 near Silver Creek, North Carolina.NCDOT
Thousands of Trees Down in South Carolina
South Carolina DOT crews were out all weekend cleaning debris, with SCDOT saying the primary hazards for drivers were downed trees and power lines, debris in the roadway and traffic signal outages.
Sunday morning, SCDOT posted to Facebook that it was working to clear “the thousands of trees that fell across the western part of South Carolina from the roads.”
The DOT closed two bridges temporarily over the weekend due to rising water levels: the Great Falls Highway bridge over Catawba River near Great Falls and the bridge over Gills Creek in Richland County.
South Carolina still has many roads closed in the impacted areas.South Carolina DOT
SCDOT crews worked to clear the thousands of trees that fell across the western part of South Carolina.South Carolina DOT
Florida DOT Inspects Bridges
Florida DOT said September 30 that 129 bridges inspectors have completed inspections on all accessible state-owned and locally owned bridges, clearing 1,400 bridges across impacted areas.
Florida DOT stated it had cleared over 12,200 miles of roadways in less than 36 hours.
Access to several roads has been restored, including the southern portion of S.R. 789 in Longboat Key, the Howard Frankland Bridge, Gandy, Skyway, and Courtney Campbell Causeway.
FDOT Bridge Inspectors have reviewed and cleared 1,400 bridges across impacted areas, determining them safe for travel.Florida DOT
Hurricane Helene produced one of the largest storm surge events in Tampa Bay history, according to Florida DOT.FDOT
Tennessee Reports Compromised Bridges
As of September 30, Tennessee DOT reported five bridges impassable and a dozen other road closures and problems. On September 29, the DOT reported it has inspected over 100 bridges in the last 36 hours, with hundreds more to go.
The Nolichucky River in Tennessee crested its dam over the weekend, though the dam remains intact.Tennessee DOT
Hurricane Helene caused historic damage to Tennessee bridges and roadways.Tennessee DOT
