Rocky Broad

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From: Chris Bell (bell@unca.edu)

Subject: Re: Flood Hits Rocky Broad

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Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle

Date: 1996/09/06

Chris Bell wrote:

>

> A friend called me moments ago to tell me that the

> 11 inches of rain (yes, that's eleven inches) the

> Rocky Broad (NC) basin received in 3 hours last

> night (yes, that's three hours) wiped out at least

> one of its bridges (the one to the campground on

> river right with the nice slot move on river

> left above it). Part of the road is reported to

> be washed out as well. John is on his way to

> check out the damage first hand. Oh, and last

> night's rain is not Fran-related -- the hurricane

> isn't expected to reach the coast until late

> tonight and we in the mountains won't feel its

> effects until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

> YOW! Don't expect me on the Gauley this weekend...

John last night and the Asheville-Citizen Times this

morning confirmed all of the above and more. Eleven

inches of rain did fall in three hours, seventeen

inches in 24. Other than the volume, the rainfall

was pretty typical for the WNC mountains this time

of year in that places 30 minutes from ground zero

received no rain at all!

At least one bridge was washed out, a restaurant

was washed into the river and was last seen in Lake

Lure, mudslides have closed the road between Bat

Cave and Chimney Rock, numerous homes have been

flooded and some knocked off their foundations,

etc., etc.

John tried to run the river yesterday afternoon

(it had dropped to a very reasonable but pushy

+11 inches) but was 'ordered off by a bunch of

rednecks in pickup trucks yelling something

about the river being closed and paddlers being

subject to arrest.' Given that campers were

still stranded at the time and the 'rednecks'

were no doubt the local rescue crew, I think

it wise that John and his boating buddy didn't

press the issue. Most local rescue squads are

next to useless in river rescue situations

(a problem Slim Ray is working to address in

our area) and it is incredibly unlikely that

John would have gotten into a situation

requiring their 'services,' but they didn't

know that and they do know enough to know that

swiftwater rescues are extremely dangerous

(even more so for them!). My sympathy is

with the rescue squad. It's not like the

Rocky Broad won't be running at + 11 again in

the near future...

Oh, and Fran has missed us entirely, so maybe

you will catch me on the Gauley this weekend!

-- Chris