North Carolina floods: Lake Lure Dam overtops with water, but remains in tact, officials say

As Helene weakens, the now-tropical storm's strong winds and heavy rain continue to wreak havoc across the Southeast U.S., including in North Carolina where at least one county has ordered evacuations.

Rutherford County's Emergency Management ordered residents who live on certain roads to evacuate to higher areas due to water overtopping the Lake Lure Dam, according to a Facebook post shared by the government office Friday morning.

Emergency officials warned in a 6 p.m. ET Facebook post that Lake Lure Dam water levels are now receding. Emergency personnel have rescued more than 25 people through "swift water rescue."

Hours earlier the department said water was "cresting the Dam and flowing around the side walls," emergency management said on Facebook.

"Structural supports have been compromised but the Dam wall is currently holding," according to the post. "Evacuations have occurred from the Dam to Island Creek Road. Evacuation sirens are sounding downstream of the Dam. Emergency personnel are working with the structural engineers and are going house to house to ensure all citizens have been evacuated. Evacuees are being transported temporarily to Ingles in Lake Lure."

Both updates came after the Rutherford County Emergency Management reported "catastrophic flows along the Broad River into Lake Lure" were overtopping the dam, resulting in major flooding downstream, per the National Weather Service (NWS).

Officials released a list of roads on which residents are ordered to evacuate. You can view the list on the Rutherford County Emergency Management Facebook page.

Emergency management also asked residents to remain home if they are not in an evacuation zone as "roads are hazardous with an insurmountable number of trees and electrical lines that are down," according to a Facebook post shared Friday afternoon.

The dam is roughly 30 miles southeast of Asheville.

Flood warnings issued

Flood warnings have been issued for several counties and towns in Western North Carolina, including Avery, Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes and Boone.

A 4-year-old was killed and others were injured in a wreck in Catawba County on Thursday that occurred as Helene's outer bands were slamming the state. In Charlotte, a person died and another was hospitalized after a tree fell on a home just after 5 a.m. Friday, according to the Charlotte Fire Department.

“This was a storm-related death,” Capt. John Lipcsak, a spokesperson for the fire department, told USA TODAY.

'Catastrophic, life-threatening flooding' predicted in Western North Carolina

The NWS previously told the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the outer rain band of Hurricane Helene would likely arrive in Western North Carolina on Thursday and bring six to 10 inches of additional rain and high winds.

Before the powerful storm made landfall, NWS Meteorologist Clay Chaney said residents in the region should not underestimate how severe its conditions could be, including potential "catastrophic, life-threatening flooding."

Photos of the flooding in Western North Carolina

This story was updated to add new information.

Contributing: Iris Seaton/ Asheville Citizen Times