Rain and snow create
issues across county
Mother Nature couldn’t make up her mind, as the region was hit with flooding and warm temperatures Thursday, followed by freezing temperatures and snow Friday and Saturday.
According to local reports, the county saw 4-5 inches of rain Thursday, then 4-5 inches of snow Friday and Saturday.
The National Weather Service in Morristown, Tenn., issued a flood warning for Cherokee County from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, plus a flash flood watch until 1 a.m. Friday.
Theresa Creasman, the county’s E-911 supervisor, said although the main roads were waterlogged Thursday, all were still passable. The department was receiving some calls about secondary roads and even private drives that were flooded.
By 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the situation changed, as E-911 started receiving calls about drivers sliding off the roads. There was a five-car pileup on Blairsville Highway that caused officials to close the road as the accident was cleared.
“This snow event was no different than the past snow events,” Creasman said. “People are aware of the incoming storm, they choose to drive anyway and wind up stranded on the side of the road. (The N.C.) Department of Transportation becomes quickly inundated, as well as the 911 center, with the amount of motorists who chose to drive during this event.”
Flooding was expected to continue, as the weather service predicts another 4-6 inches of rain through Thursday in Murphy.
Around Murphy
The Town of Murphy closed the River Walk on Thursday due to severe flooding conditions. The town’s sewer system took in too much water in a short amount of time, causing overflows from manholes, including those along the River Walk.
Mayor Rick Ramsey said the River Walk would remain closed until further notice. He could not predict when it would reopen, considering the rain forecast.
“It would not be in anyone’s best interest to walk it right now,” he said.
Ramsey said the town did an “exceptional job” with Saturday’s snow. He was amazed by how much a small crew with one large and one small plow truck was able to accomplish in such a short period of time.
He also was happy to residents letting the kid in them come out as they built snowmen and threw snowballs.
“It seemed to me that everyone was enjoying the snowfall,” Ramsey said.
No serious injuries have been reported at this time. Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corp. reported only one power outage in its coverage area.
On the west side
Aquone Road in Andrews experienced mudslides Thursday, but that road was not as bad as others that were under water, Andrews Mayor James Reid said. Both Dan Holland Road and Beaver Creek Road were flooded.
“The state’s working on both of them,” he said midday.
Reid said secondary roads, especially those near creeks and streams, were most compromised by the storm. He asked that residents stay safe.
“If they don’t need to go any where, definitely stay home,” Reid said.
Andrews Town Hall also saw some flooding in its below ground floor. Reid said nothing was damaged, and the water was pumped by Friday morning.
Creasman said the owners of cattle losing ground near U.S. 19 in Andrews are aware and working on the situation. She added that Andrews Water Department employees are not in danger after four people, including two workers, were trapped due to a mud and water slide.
A rock slide closed Nantahala Gorge near Hewitts Road. Late Thursday, Division 14 Maintenance Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said there was 50-60 truckloads of material to remove, some to restore the natural drainage path to prevent additional issues.
DOT crews spent three days, sometimes in snowfall, clearing debris. Motorists were detoured through Robbinsville during the road closure. The road reopened to one lane with a traffic signal Sunday, but closed again on Monday due to a power line that fell across the road. For updated road conditions, visit drivenc.gov.
In the water
Officials with the Tennessee Valley Authority’s River Forecast Center in Knoxville, Tenn., said the 41,000-square-mile region they monitor has received about a month’s worth of rainfall over the course of Feb. 5 and Thursday. The wet ground from January rainfall coupled with the intense two-day rainstorm has produced “very high runoff amounts.”
For the time being, officials have stopped releasing water from Chattooga and Nottely dams into their corresponding rivers. Officials have also reduced water flow at Apalachia and Hiwassee dams.
Officials advise residents to follow guidance from the National Weather Service regarding local flooding, as rain is expected to continue over the course of the next week. Weather officials say the situation can change rapidly, and anyone who works, lives or plays on or near the water should be prepared for changing conditions.
Residents can stay up to date with the latest advisories at TVA.org or on TVA’s Facebook page.
School’s out
Cherokee County Schools, The Learning Center charter school, Tri-County Early College High School and Tri-County Community College all closed Thursday and Friday due to the area being under a flash flood warning, as well as hazardous conditions throughout the county due to inclement weather.
Superintendent Jeana Conley said this wasn’t the first time in her career that schools have closed for flood warnings and watches. As nearby districts – Clay, Macon, Swain and Union (Ga.) – made decisions for early dismissal, and she saw images of local bridges and roads flooded, she was happy Cherokee County students were already safe at home.
“I’m comfortable with the decision,” she said Thursday.
As snow intensified Saturday morning, any school events that were not already postponed were. Students returned to school Monday morning, although Andrews schools reported power outages during the day.
However, there were no cancellations and no damage to buildings at John C. Campbell Folk School, even though there was flooding in Brasstown and on the school’s property. Keather Gougler, the folk school’s marketing and communications director, said when the water levels decreased overnight, it left behind some debris and muddy paths.
“The amounts of rain in such a short period of time were not typical for us,” Gougler said. “I’ve worked here for 18 years, and only remember one other time during spring when we saw water levels as high as we had this week.”
Staff Writer Penny Ray contributed to this report.