Hurricane Helene vs. the Log Cabin

I lived in Meadowbrook Log Cabin from 2005 until 2022 and there were a few weather events that caused flooding and road closures in Hendersonville. Hurricane Helene flooded areas that are not in a flood zone and didn’t flood areas that are in a flood zone.

Hurricane Matthew dropped 17″ of rain. The road flooded, but the water never got any higher than this. It was not even close to the garage, the lowest building.

Hurricane Florence dropped as much as 24″ of rain in one day. The brook turned into a torrent, but the water still did not get close to the cabin.

Florence was the record for rainfall, with over 35″ over seven days in some areas. Still, this was the highest the water got.

In 2020, Hendersonville made changes to stabilize the streambanks. It seems to let the water flow through more efficiently.

The road floods sometimes, but the cabin is on higher ground.

The land around log cabin is in the 100 year flood area, but the cabin itself is written out of the FEMA map.

The top lot in Druid Hills is where the log cabin is. It is in Zone X, so not in the flood zone.

US-25 flooded past the area in the 0.2% Annual Chance Flood (500 Year Flood) area and to where it is not in a flood zone at all.

The log cabin is on a higher spot surrounded by flood plain. This was already documented when I bought the cabin. “…the LOMR or LOMA issued determined that the lots or structures involved are out of the Special Flood Hazard Area, as shown on the FIRM.”

Before Helene showed up, we had already had three days of rain. Then the storm dropped almost 22 more inches and did it fast. The water was a LOT higher than it ever had been before.

The flood water was over the porch at the log cabin. It was feet deep in the garage and in the 2-story building Cliff used as his office.

This house is just over the brook from the log cabin. See how high the water got?

They spray painted a FEMA Search Code onto the house on the other side of the brook from the log cabin.

Water completely filled the downstairs and was feet deep inside.

The brook is still a little higher than is typical in this photo, but can you even imagine how high it got to get up to the upstairs of the brick house on the right and over the porch of the log cabin?

You can see the mud up to the waterline.

The man that now owns the cabin says that it is OK. We don’t own the cabin anymore, but I still love it.

Everything in the garage and downstairs in the office building was completely soaked and ruined.

They pulled the bottom trim off the cabin. It has a lot of supports underneath.

This is under the porch.

The houses on Somerset are in the flood zone and didn’t flood. The log cabin is not in the flood zone and the water was feet higher than the flood level.