RUTHERFORDTON - One of the only remaining lights in Rutherfordton by 7 p.m. Saturday came from a floodlight next to Fly Boy Pizza food truck. The truck’s generator is one of the only sources of power in the county. It hummed loudly as essential workers, such as Aaron Logan, an ER nurse at the Rutherford Regional Medical Center, ordered food.
“We had a lot of people coming in just needing oxygen,” Logan said. “Not really wanting an ER visit, just some supplemental oxygen and then going home.”
The hospital was getting by on generator power, though communication was a struggle with no internet, cell or phone service. All around, the streets were mostly empty since the county declared a 7:30 p.m. curfew the day before.
“Just been trying to give people an option to get out of their homes a bit, get some hot food,” said Lance Cope, owner of Fly Boy.
But not everyone could afford to abide by the curfew. Rutherford County Emergency Management reported rescuing over 100 people from around Lake Lure over the weekend. Residents evacuated when the dam threatened to fail during Hurricane Helene, leaving them to scramble to gather the essentials.
Jean Mick-Jollay pushed open the door of her parents' home off Highway 64 near Lake Lure. The ramp access to the house was destroyed. The cars out front had all been pushed together by the floodwaters — the interior of one vehicle was completely brown.
She stepped into the living room, and water welled up from the carpet beneath her feet. It smelled like mildew, but Mick-Jollay said it smelled like sewage earlier. A fine layer of mud covered the floor. Furniture was toppled over. Mick-Jollay’s parents had climbed the ladder to their attic to seek refuge when the floodwaters entered their home.
“They were up there maybe five or six hours in the attic,” Mick-Jollay said.
She shimmied past the hodgepodge of couches, dressers and chairs. A nearby USGS gauge recorded 10 inches of rain that day. The Second Broad River, a tributary of the Broad, surged nearly 20 feet Friday.
“He just was like, get the pills and be out of there,” Mick-Jollay said as she grabbed her father’s medication. She pried open the fridge, and condiments and produce toppled to the floor.
The waterline was clearly marked on the white refrigerator door. The kitchen rested on a 14-foot basement. The water had filled the basement, then risen 3 feet into the main floor of the house.
Mick-Jollay left with her father’s medication and as much unspoiled food as her arms could carry.
Information and support resources for western North Carolina:
- Charlotte-native Laurel Roser has compiled a living document on Google Sheets with hurricane recovery resources for western North Carolina, including Chimney Rock and Lake Lure.
- Blue Ridge Public Radio published a list of organizations supporting hurricane relief efforts in western North Carolina.
- WFAE has compiled this list of resources.
- The Concord-Padgett Regional Airport is coordinating an airdrop of food and supplies.
- Organizations in the Triangle are organizing drives to get resources to affected towns in the western part of the state.
