‘Hit so hard’: Storm damage in Henderson County stirs memories of Helene, official says
By Chloe Adams
Click here for updates on this story
HENDERSON COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — A Henderson County official said up to 10 inches of heavy rainfall hit western North Carolina, resulting in several road closures Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Mike Morgan, a county spokesperson, said he thinks this is the county’s first bad storm since Helene. Morgan said the damaged roads, like Gerton’s Konatoga Circle and U.S. 74, and the debris left behind gave some nearby residents flashbacks from Helene.
“There’s no doubt people are – hating the term PTSD – but it’s a little bit of what people have from the storm,” Morgan said. ”We’ve had a few little instances since then, but especially in this area, they got hit so hard to get hit again.”
City officials said a weekend of heavy rain caused more devastation in areas that have been trying for nearly two years to rebuild since Helene. Small landslides in areas along the county worsened some of these conditions.
“It was similar to Helene a little bit because we had a lot of rain all weekend long, and then last night, we just got hammered,” Morgan said.
Other overnight washouts hit more roads around Edneyville, Bat Cave, Fairview, and Gerton, including U.S. 74 near the Henderson County line, Kelly Hill Road and Bearwallow Mountain Road.
An NCDOT official said they hope to reopen Konatoga Circle by the end of the day. NCDOT estimates Bearwallow Mountain Road will remain closed for several days.
Officials are advising people to stay off roads as they continue to assess any damage.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.