BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — First responders in Burke County will be closely monitoring levels on Lake James when rain moves in.
Since Helene hit, Duke Energy has been working to repair the two main turbines inside the Bridgewater Powerhouse, but they’ll remain offline until next spring.
Officials said debris from the storm got into those turbines and caused extensive damage.
The dam’s minimum flow valve will also be offline until the end of the month.
Channel 9′s Dave Faherty spoke with concerned residents whose homes were destroyed by flooding along the Catawba River.
Jim Morgan told Faherty that he is worried that if the area gets several inches of rain, there could be problems for folks living near the lake.
Morgan also spoke about the dozens of volunteers who have come to his property over the last six weeks.
“Estimated, I’ve had approximately 2500 volunteer hours to help salvage the house. And they’ve been absolute angels; they’ve been smeared in mud and covered in dust when they leave, but it’s really been a beautiful experience,” Morgan explained.
Last week, first responders said the area received an inch and a half of rain and there weren’t any major issues in the area.
VIDEO: Duke Energy built solar in a mountain town to improve reliability. Helene was its biggest test.
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