Treasured discoveries surface as North Carolina lake is drained during Helene revitalization

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. – An extensive post-storm cleanup effort at Lake Lure in western North Carolina has uncovered remarkable pieces of local history that had long been hidden beneath the surface of the man-made lake.
The town of Lake Lure, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and private contractors, launched a large-scale restoration project aimed at clearing sediment and debris left behind by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
As part of the effort, officials drained much of the nearly 800-acre reservoir, exposing parts of the lakebed not seen since the area was first inundated in the 1920s.
Among the most surprising discoveries: a 1920s-era Model T-style truck and a 32-foot wooden boat originally intended to serve as a water taxi during the region's early development.
"This is the first time the lake has been this low since it was first filled nearly a century ago," said Jake Mohl, owner of Lake Lure Dock Company, whose team is currently handling many of the dock and boathouse repairs around the lake. "We've worked on this lake for decades, and we're seeing things no one's laid eyes on in generations."
Record-setting Shipwreck Accidentally Discovered Off Coast Of France
Mohl, who has shared photos of the finds with FOX Weather, said his crew has encountered everything from sunken rowboats and large tree trunks to vehicle parts.
"The boat likely broke free during a storm and sank sometime after the Great Depression," Mohl explained.
Still visible on the side of the vessel is the name "Pooh Bear," which belonged to the Tanner family - one of the region's original developers.
The boat was originally purchased in the 1950s to be used as a water taxi, but plans for its commercial use were abandoned.
Nearby, crews also located what appears to be the Model T-style truck, likely left behind when the lake was created in the 1920s.
Local residents suggested the vehicle became stuck in the mud or broke down and was simply left to be consumed by the rising waters when a nearby dam was completed in 1926 and the lake filled a year later.
The discoveries come as contractors, like the Lake Lure Dock Company, shift from immediate recovery work to reconstruction of docks and other structures around the lake.
Many homes around the waterway appeared to be spared during Hurricane Helene, but boathouses and docks took the brunt of the damage.
"It's a roll of the dice out here," Mohl said. "Some properties were completely wiped out."
Chimney Rock, North Carolina, Recovery Shows Progress Post-helene
Treasure hunters hoping to explore the lakebed for themselves may be disappointed, as the area remains off-limits to the public due to safety concerns.
Large construction equipment has been spotted along the shoreline, where crews have already removed an estimated 376,000 tons of silt and approximately 46,744 cubic yards of storm debris from the lake.
Town officials have not yet released a firm timeline for when the project will be completed or how long it will take the lake to refill, but locals are hopeful that Lake Lure will be restored to its former beauty by the summer of 2026.Original article source: Treasured discoveries surface as North Carolina lake is drained during Helene revitalization

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Miami Herald

6 hours ago

• Miami Herald

What happens if your power goes out in a storm? FPL has some advice

Will your power zap off during a summer storm? Now that hurricane season is here, Florida Light & Power says now is the time to double down on preparations, including what to know about the utility's work and what happens in a power outage. Conlan Kennedy, Bianca Soriano and Jack Eble of FPL's communications team sat down with the Miami Herald in early June and offered advice for this Q&A: MORE: Can you lower your FPL bill this summer? How to set your AC and other tips What should customers be doing right now, before a hurricane hits? Have a plan. That will make sure you're ready to make the best decisions for you and your family. Make sure you have checked batteries, radios and flashlights. Have phone chargers available, including a car charger. What about generators? If you're planning to use a generator, now would be the time to make sure you fully understand how to operate that equipment safely in your home. FPL can visit your home or business to help you with that. Do you have a loved one that has medically sensitive equipment that requires electricity? What's your plan for that person whether back-up power or relocation? What has FPL done year-round to prepare for storms? We have a smart grid that we're upgrading all year. It help us speed up the restoration process. In 2024 — for hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton — it helped customers avoid more than 800,000 outages. We've been investing in smart grids since 2011. It helps improve our day-to-day reliability. How does the smart grid work? Smart switches can go on main lines or neighborhood power lines. With smart meters, the meters communicate with devices on the grid which communicate with mobile diagnostic centers throughout the state. The grid is communicating with itself. We no longer have to go house to house throughout the state. Is there anything consumers can do to reduce the probability of a power outage? That's the reason we invest year round in the grid. When storms come, we emphasize safety. If you feel your home is susceptible through your roof or window, we advise you unplug any unnecessary equipment, and in some cases turn off the breaker. Never plug in anything if standing water is in your house. If you see damaged electrical equipment or a downed power line after the storm, you can call 911 and then FPL. Stay away from flooded areas. What else should people be aware as a storm threatens? Before the storm, you'll see mini-cities where crews are set up, staging sites. These are areas we believe will see the hardest impact from the storm. When a storm passes and conditions are safe, crews cans spring right into action. As long as wind speeds are below 35 mph, we can safely restore power. We can begin restoration process even before a storm makes landfall. How soon will customers know about getting back their power? FPL will provide initial estimate time of restoration for all customers affected roughly 24 hours after a storm has cleared the area. This allows damage assessment teams to sweep the area and provide valuable information to restoration crews. How do you prioritize whose power to restore? We start with critical infrastructure like hospitals and 911 call centers. Then community essentials like grocery stores and gas stations. Meanwhile, households are automatically getting their electricity back. Then, going house-by-house in the hard-hit neighborhoods. If everybody else around you has power and you don't, that means it's customer-owned equipment that's damaged. That would be a time to give us a call What are other FPL resources during hurricane season? FPL has the following additional information online: ▪ Storm Center: ▪ Tips for businesses: ▪ Tips for homes: ▪ Power Tracker: ▪ FPL social media: The utility is on Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram. It also has tools in the App Store or Google Play, or by texting the word 'App' to MyFPL (69375).

New York Post

a day ago

• New York Post

Heatwave to roast NYC with record-setting temps up to 102 degrees

It's gonna be juicy in the Big Apple! A 'very sweaty' heatwave is expected to shatter records next week with scorching temperatures soaring to a swampy high of 102 degrees, forecasters said Friday. 'Unfortunately, it's going to be very humid along with the heat,' Fox Weather Meteorologist Stephanie Van Oppen said. 'It's the type of air that feels like you're walking through a swimming pool. It clings to you, it's very sweaty.' Advertisement The mercury will soar to a high of 100 degrees on Monday and 102 degrees Tuesday, with a dew point in the high 60s or even 70s on both days — potentially breaking two 137-year-old records for the city's hottest ever June 23 and June 24, Van Oppen said. The previous heat records for both of those dates were set at 96 degrees in Central Park in 1888. 3 Temperatures are expected to soar to a high of 102 degrees on Tuesday. FOX Weather Advertisement 'That's definitely dangerous for people to be out in for too long,' she said, adding feels-like temperatures could reach 105 degrees. 'Next week's going to be a hot one.' The sweltering heat could affect turnout for the Democratic mayoral primary election Tuesday, especially among older voters, many of whom lean toward supporting former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo earned 42% of first-choice votes among people 50 and older in a recent poll by New York-Siena College and the American Association of Retired Persons. 3 New Yorkers cool off in extreme heat. Getty Images Advertisement New Yorkers headed to the polls in the heat should dress in light, loose-fitting clothing, carry water and search for shade, Van Oppen said. 'Try to find a spot with shade as you wait to vote,' she said. 'I've seen a lot of people in the subway with personal fans, so that could be an option.' 3 Shirtless New Yorker cools off during heat wave. Michael Nagle Advertisement Gov. Kathy Hochul, meanwhile, issued an 'extreme heat' warning Friday for much of the state, calling it the 'number one cause of weather-related death' and encouraging New Yorkers to prepare. Temperatures over the weekend are forecast to be slightly cooler with a partly sunny high of 88 degrees on Saturday and 97 degrees on Sunday.

Hamilton Spectator

2 days ago

• Hamilton Spectator

Flooding and rock slides close heavily damaged I-40 section in Smoky Mountains

HARTFORD, Tenn. (AP) — Heavy rain, flooding and a rock slide have again closed a section of the major cross country highway Interstate 40 along its narrow corridor through the Great Smoky Mountains. The slide and flood happened Wednesday afternoon around mile marker 450 in Tennessee, just to the west of the state line with North Carolina, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said on social media. Crews continued to work Thursday to get the water and rock off the highway and had not released when they think the road could be reopened, the DOT said. Engineers have found significant damage on both the highway and nearby ramps which was more extensive than originally thought, Republican Tennessee Rep. Jeremy Faison said on social media. 'Several areas remain under water, and there are potentially compromised slopes. Geotechnical engineers are on-site today to assess the stability of those slopes,' wrote Faison, who represents the area. The damaged section is part of 12 miles (19 kilometers) of I-40 in North Carolina and Tennessee that was washed away or heavily damaged by flooding that roared through the Pigeon River gorge during Hurricane Helene in late September. Crews repaired and shored up enough of the old highway to open one narrow lane in each direction in March. The lanes are separated by a curb several inches high that had to be removed to let vehicles stuck by the flooding and rockslide to turn around and go the other way. About 2.5 to 3.5 inches (63 mm to 89 mm) of rain fell in the area over about three hours, according to the National Weather Service. The permanent fix to stabilize what's left of the road will involve driving long steel rods into bedrock below the road, filling them with grout and spraying concrete on the cliff face to hold them in place. It will take years. I-40 runs from Wilmington. North Carolina to Barstow, California, and any detour around the Great Smoky Mountain section is dozens of miles. Trucks have gotten stuck on twisty narrow mountain roads and are banned on another major highway through the area U.S. 441 through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.