OHSCrifle
OHSCrifle PowerDork
10/3/24 9:16 p.m.

I was in Asheville for a weekend in May 2024 and we walked each morning in the river arts district. That area is ALL underwater.

Even New Belgium's brewery which seemed fairly far up the bank - my brain says it was about 30' up and even THAT got flooded. Mind is blown  

Having said all that.. Has anyone seen an overlay of FEMA predicted flooding and the actual flooding this week?

VolvoHeretic
VolvoHeretic SuperDork
10/3/24 10:15 p.m.

It's probably way to early for the actual current floodwaters to be calculated and mapped, but here is the link to the FEMA interactive map.

msc.fema.gov: FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address

In the search window type in Asheville, NC

Edit: Please note the rapid elevation drop in the river.

porschenut
porschenut Dork
10/4/24 9:09 a.m.

Maybe history would help.  From about 100 years ago

The roots of the natural disaster began on July 5, 1916 when the skies opened up, and it rained for six days straight. When the weather cleared, the ground was completely saturated. What was needed was weeks of hot, dry weather. It wasn’t to be.On July 14, 1916 a hurricane made landfall in Charleston, South Carolina, and by the morning of the 15th the center of the storm had reached WNC. The hurricane dumped as much as 15 - 22 inches of rain in 24 hours in some areas. At the time, it was the greatest 24-hour precipitation total ever recorded in the United States. It was estimated that up to 90% of the rain that fell became runoff. The rains finally stopped, but the trouble for the people of WNC was just beginning as rivers rose and overflowed their banks.At 4:10 a.m. Sunday morning, July 16, the Swannanoa River jumped its banks and spread out toward the Biltmore Village neighborhood and the French Broad River. Hours later, earthen dams broke at Kanuga and Osceola Lakes in Henderson County, launching a wall of water into Asheville’s riverfront. The French Broad River crested at an estimated 21 feet, 17 feet above flood stage. The average width of the French Broad near Asheville was 381 feet in 1916. During the flood, it was approximately 1,300 feet across. Along the Catawba River, the flooding was similar. In some locations along its path, the Catawba rose almost 23 feet beyond previous high-water marks.Estimated damage costs over the region exceeded $22 million, which equates to roughly $480 million by today's standards. It is also estimated that 80 people died as a result of the flood.It is difficult to grasp the devastation that swept across our area. It is only in reading the quotes from citizens who lived through the flood that one begins to truly understand the impact of Flood of 1916 on the people of Western North Carolina.

camopaint0707
camopaint0707 HalfDork
10/4/24 9:17 a.m.

In reply to OHSCrifle :

I remember doing a float down the french broad river, we beached up at new belgium, got some beers, then kept on floating.  And being buzzed and walking up that 30 feet, which isn't an exaggeration, wasn't easy barefoot lol.  

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