MONTREAT, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Montreat is in ruins after the catastrophic deluge from Hurricane Helene.
Montreat College, a school of nearly one-thousand students twenty miles east of Asheville, closed at 2:30 pm on Thursday afternoon “out of an abundance of caution,” the school’s internal text messaging system stated.
By Friday morning, it became clear to students that the hurricane was far worse than the administration had prepared for.
Fed by Flat Creek, Lake Susan, at the center of Montreat, had become a series of whirlpools dumping an untold volume of water over its dam and toward Black Mountain. The dam held but its structural integrity is in question.
The torrent of rain was too much for Flat Creek to handle, causing the flood to reroute itself through Montreat’s roads and bridges.
Greybeard Road is gone. A ten-foot-deep chasm exists where the road once stood. Families in cottages along Greybeard Road are stranded. Several other roads in the town have buckled in half.
Two out of the three bridges into the College have collapsed. The third bridge has been deemed compromised by inspectors. Students began attempting to evacuate over the compromised bridge on Friday night.
The College lacks power and water for the students who remain on campus. Limited food and restrooms are available. Cell service is unreliable. Students are subject to a 7:30 p.m. curfew.
A small group of cafeteria workers, who arrived early Friday morning to cook for the student body, are now stranded in Montreat.
Some of the College’s buildings have been damaged.
McAlister Gymnasium had a five-foot-deep river flowing through it on Friday. The building has been deemed structurally unsound and may not be salvageable. Students are prohibited from entering.
Other buildings, including residence halls, incurred lesser damage including flooding, sewage disruptions and roof leaks.
Internal messaging at the College has indicated several professors have lost their homes. No students, faculty or staff are known to have died at the time of this writing.
Students on campus are being rehomed as soon as suitable housing is found. Montreat College hosts a significant foreign student population whom are unable to return to their home countries.
Students attempting to evacuate have been warned not to leave unless they have “a reasonable amount of gas…cash…[and] reliable cell service,” according to the College website.
Duke Energy’s website lists Montreat as receiving power by 11 p.m. on September 29. The timeline for the restoration of water services is unknown.
Montreat College has requested FEMA assistance. Water and a refrigeration truck are being shipped in.
At present, the College is informing students that classes will resume on Monday, October 7, although administrators have not specified whether that will be in-person or online learning.
