McDowell County facing water shortage after Helene; 20 air rescues conducted day after storm

The remnants of Hurricane Helene, a tropical storm by the time it reached North Carolina, hit McDowell County on Friday. The storm brought strong wind, rain and flooding. It knocked out power, cell phone service, internet and water for most of the county

The National Weather Service said portions of western McDowell County received around 9 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Helene.

The storm initially left nearly all of McDowell County residents without power Saturday. On Sunday 78% were still without power.

McDowell County's water is limited after the storm, according to emergency management officials. Marion's water supply was expected to be depleted by noon Sunday, and Old Fort has limited to not water as of Saturday evening.

Marion's water intakes were without power or were not producing water, according to a Saturday news release from McDowell County Emergency Management. The city is working with Duke Energy to restore power to the Buck Creek water intake, but it may take time, the release said.

Without power, the water supply in Marion was expected to run out, the release said.

"It is urgent that all city of Marion and McDowell County water customers conserve water to the greatest possible degree in order to extend the city and county water supplies," the release said.

Non-essential water use was prohibited.

Old Fort's water system was impacted by flooding as well, leaving the city with little to no water, a Saturday emergency management update said.

The county is still working to rescue people who are trapped and missing, emergency management said.

Distribution centers

McDowell County opened distribution centers for food and water and a third shelter on Sunday.

The distribution centers are located at:

Emergency management said this is the first of many distribution centers.

"Since the early morning hours, McDowell County Emergency Services has been working tirelessly to set up Points of Distribution across the county to provide critical supplies, including food and water, to every community," emergency management said in the release. "Our dedicated team will not stop until all citizens have access to the resources they need for their safety and well-being. We are working around the clock, doing everything we can to bring resources into McDowell County as quickly as possible.

The county is opened a third shelter at the YMCA in Marion on Sunday, emergency management said in a release. The county had three shelters as of Sunday afternoon:

There is no shelter in Old Fort, the county said.

Information was limited about the impact the storm had on Old Fort

Calls for help

McDowell County 911 received over 760 calls for service during this storm on Friday, according to McDowell County Emergency Management.

Even in the days after, McDowell County 911 got hundreds of calls for help every hour, emergency management said. The calls involve patients who are trapped with severe trauma and running out of oxygen or essential medical supplies, the county said.

It took time for emergency management to respond, because multiple areas in McDowell were inaccessible to emergency personnel in the days after the storm, emergency management said.

"Mutual aid agencies from all across North Carolina are assisting McDowell County respond to this disaster," the county said Friday. "A mass casualty bus, multiple out-of-county ambulances, National Guard personnel, Urban Search and Rescue Teams, swift water rescue teams and state law enforcement are supporting local fire, rescue, EMS, and law enforcement. Heavy construction equipment is also being used to access several critical incidents."

In some areas, responders could not reach those in help because of landslides, downed trees, power lines and flooded roads, the Saturday release said. By Sunday, water was starting to recede and some of the Catawba River was back at bank level, an alert from McDowell County Emergency Management said. But the county said there is still standing water around the county.

With the water receding, rescue efforts shifted from swift water rescue to urban search and rescue, the Sunday alert said.

More than 20 air rescues were conducted Saturday to extract people from isolates areas, emergency management said.

The biggest challenges in emergency response were road blockages, fuel supply shortages for emergency vehicles, difficulty communicating with little to no cell and radio service and delivery of food and water, the county said.

Responders worked to deliver supplies like food and water throughout McDowell County, emergency management said. The supplies were distributed to drop points by the U.S. National Guard, the county said.

I-40 mudslide

The North Carolina Department of Transportation reported a mudslide on Interstate 40 near Old Fort.

The interstate is closed from exit 66 to exit 77, according to DriveNC.gov .