Fury flowing down the mountain rips though Maggie Valley and Jonathan Creek
People on the mountainsides may have escaped much of the flooding that swamped the Pigeon River and her main tributaries, but many faced an equally terrifying danger during Helene. The mountain itself could give way.
Such was the experience of Cassie Hall, who lives at 3,800 feet in Maggie Valley. At 8:42 on the morning of Sept. 27, Helene triggered a massive mud slide above her home. Her saving grace, she said, was that her car helped block mud, boulders and trees from crashing into the house. Instead, the debris shoved the vehicle against the house. Her driveway was destroyed, as was a portion of her road. After being stranded for four days, Hall was finally able to get out.
The heavy rains of Helene and debris that overwhelmed Maggie Valley’s culverts and drainage systems transformed Soco Road into a flowing river. It washed out bridges, including one on Campbell Creek and another to Evans Cove, which also took out the town’s water lines. Motels and businesses flooded, particularly those along the Jonathan Creek side of Soco Road, forcing owners and guests to evacuate. Meadowlark Motel owner Joseph McElroy couldn’t convince two of his guests to leave, until a 3-foot wall of water swept into the rooms. “It came through there like a flash flood. It overwhelmed us,” McElroy said. “The old woman had oxygen, and I had to literally carry her. Then the other woman was not-too-steady on her feet, and she falls down and I had to pull her out of the water. She could have died.” Maggie Valley firefighters raced against the rising water to rescue people trapped in their homes. “At some point, the 911 lines went down,” said Maggie firefighter Jared Shuler. “So we were just jumping from one place to the next, thinking in our heads, ‘This could be a potentially flooded area. If this is flooded here, then these areas need to be checked, too.’”
Maggie Valley 3
Shortly after the flood, Miss Maggie was out on the streets, offering encouragement even as she stood among the debris left by Helene. Though the town suffered millions in damage to its infrastructure, its businesses would suffer greatly as well — even those not physically damaged by the storm. News of Helene’s destruction, and early messaging to postpone visiting to give residents time for cleanup and rescue, meant a significant drop in the fall tourism season, on which many of the town’s businesses depend.
