Digging out from Hurricane Helene

Sandra ClarkOur Town Stories

Knoxville was spared the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Even Beaver Creek in Powell didn’t flood. But many of our neighbors in East Tennessee had their world turned upside down. High winds, heavy rain and flooding led to loss of lives, homes and businesses. Lessons learned:

  • Get information from reliable sources like TVA, the National Weather Service, FEMA, etc.
  • If you want to help, donate through reliable sources like Red Cross, or The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) or similar denominational groups.
  • Thank somebody from TVA.

Nolichucky Dam Update: After a thorough review by TVA’s Dam Safety team, we have determined the Nolichucky Dam is stable and secure. (Report posted on TVA website at 4 p.m. Saturday, September 28, 2024.) We are notifying local emergency management agencies that we are transitioning to an advanced monitoring mode of the dam and exiting the emergency condition.

TVA Dam Safety personnel are onsite conducting inspections. Crews are waiting for the water to recede to do additional safety assessments.

TVA’s River Forecast Center predicts the Nolichucky headwaters have crested. Water levels are receding at about 1 foot an hour. This has been corroborated with onsite observations by TVA Dam Safety crews.

The Nolichucky Dam peak water elevation hit 1266.0 feet, which is 9.5 feet over the record elevation of 1256.5 feet set on November 6, 1977. The 1.3 million gallons per second flow rate at 11 p.m. on September 27, more than doubles the flow rate of 613,000 gallons per second from the previous regulated release in 1977.

On September 27 at about 11:30 p.m. ET, out of an abundance of caution, TVA issued a Condition Red alert, which meant that a breach was imminent. The alert was issued due to a lack of visibility at the dam and high-water levels at the dam that were rising at that time about 2 feet per hour. TVA engaged with TEMA and local emergency management agencies.

Nolichucky Dam Drone Video – Download

Overall River System Update: Following Helene, TVA continues to manage high water levels to protect communities across seven states using the agency’s sophisticated system of dams to control flooding along the Tennessee River watershed.

  • TVA is spilling or sluicing water at dams across the system including on the mainstem Tennessee River.
  • The public should be mindful of changing lake levels on tributary lakes and heed National Weather Service watches and warnings.
  • Our River Management team remains staffed 24/7 and will continue to monitor this situation.
 

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