Residents of Fletcher in Biltmore Village have called for riverfront areas to be vacated ahead of Helene

Historic flooding is expected along the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers in Buncombe County as government officials urge residents, businesses, visitors and workers in Fletcher and Biltmore Village – two areas notoriously prone to river flooding – to evacuate before rivers are expected to peak in the night of September 27 and into the morning of September 28, as announced by Buncombe County on September 26.

“If you are in the affected area, you should leave immediately,” Emergency Services Director Taylor Jones said in a news release. “It is possible that we will reach a point where our crews will not be physically able to perform a rescue. We cannot emphasize how seriously you should take this.”

First Baptist Church of Swannanoa has opened a community shelter and Trinity Baptist Church will open a shelter at 3 p.m., Thursday.

In Asheville, Biltmore Village residents were encouraged to evacuate as the National Weather Service and Buncombe County officials indicate the area will experience “historic” flooding as a result of Hurricane Helene.

Buncombe County is working to develop GIS maps of expected impacts, but residents in the Biltmore Village and Fletcher areas along the river should plan to evacuate now.

Buncombe County government offices and administrative buildings, including the landfill and transfer station, will be closed on Friday, September 27. The Buncombe County Courthouse will also be closed.

Flooding has already occurred throughout Buncombe County, with some residents trying to brave the water even as the French Broad River is rising rapidly.

One resident, Ronald Dwork of Candler, tried to get home to Interstate 240 before driving into the water. Dwork said he “didn’t think it was that deep” and drove until his car stalled as the waters of the French Broad crossed Karen Cragnolin Park at Amboy Road.

Candler resident Ronald Dwork stands in front of his car on Amboy Road on September 26.

While he was waiting for a tow truck to help him out of the water, a lifted Jeep truck drove into the parking lot of a nearby gas station. Dwork looked at it and said, “I thought I was driving one of them and that’s my problem.”

This story will be updated.

Will Hofmann is a growth and development reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Please consider supporting this type of journalism by subscribing to Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on the Asheville Citizen Times: Hurricane Helene: Urgent Evacuation for Fletcher in Biltmore Village