Hurricane Helene has brought tornado watches, flood alerts, power outages and more destruction in its path. After it made landfall in Florida on Thursday, September 26, the tropical cyclone-turned-hurricane moved up the coast instead of veering farther west. After hitting southern states including North and South Carolina, Tennessee is now facing the storm’s wrath. The town of Newport in Cocke County is facing major flooding because the Waterville Dam had a breach.
What Happened to the Waterville Dam?
On Friday, September 27, Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis announced that the dam had failed, and he encouraged locals to evacuate.
“THE WATERVILLE DAM HAS SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE,” Mathis wrote via Facebook. “EVACUATION ALL OF DOWNTOWN NEWPORT IMMEDIATELY.”
Earlier that day, Mathis assured the public that emergency preparations had been made in anticipation of the storm’s impact…