Tourist hub Lake Lure declares state of emergency due to heavy rain in North Carolina

UPDATE: The Town of Lake Lure reported late Tuesday, Sept. 6, that lake levels are “now within normal operating limits,” easing dangers in the community. The original story is below.

A North Carolina mountain town known as the filming location for “Dirty Dancing” declared a state of emergency after flash flooding infiltrated its wastewater treatment plant.

Lake Lure officials blamed the situation on “excessive rainfall in a very short period of time.”

Multiple warnings were issued, including an alert for drivers to be wary of landslides. A section of Buffalo Creek Road was closed after part of one lane collapsed, the town reported.

“Flooding from several surrounding tributaries has caused a significant amount lake water to infiltrate the waste water treatment plant causing one of the two pumps to go down,” the town reported in a Sept. 5 Facebook post. “Emergency repairs have been made.”

The National Weather Service reports parts of the North Carolina mountains saw between 6 and 10 inches of rain over a 72-hour period. Lake Lure issued a flash flood warning on Labor Day, urging people living near rivers and streams to “seek higher ground” on Labor Day.

“Between 2 and 4 inches of rain have fallen over the past six hours and additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the warned area through early afternoon,” the town said Monday, Sept. 5.

“Be especially alert if you are near a stream, especially at the base of a mountain or in a cove. Watch for loose-moving soil and rocks or a sudden increase in streamflow. Leave the area quickly if this is observed.”

The National Weather Service reports more thunderstorms could come in the afternoon Tuesday, Sept. 6, and “will be capable of producing locally heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts, and cloud to ground lightning.”

Lake Lure, a man-made lake about 30 miles east of Asheville, is home to the Sept. 10 Dirty Dancing Festival. Town officials said it’s “not likely” the flooding will affect the event.

Multiple scenes from the movie were filmed in the area, including at the nearby Camp Chimney Rock, according to VisitNC.com.

“Though ‘Dirty Dancing’ was set in a fictional Catskills resort in the summer of 1963, today, it’s easy to spend a few days exploring some of the original film sites,” VisitNC reports.

This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 7:52 AM.