The once-idyllic mountain town of Chimney Rock, North Carolina, which was immortalized in films including blockbusters The Last of the Mohicans and Dirty Dancing, has been virtually razed to the ground after being devastated by flooding from Hurricane Helene.
The small town with a population of just 140 people, located in the heart of the state, lies beneath the towering cliffs of Chimney Rock State Park and has long attracted filmmakers for its stunning scenery.
But now the town, along with its pristine Lake Lure, lies in ruins and littered with debris from the devastating floods that hit the area this weekend.
A wall of water rushed down the Broad River, washing away most of the structures along Main Street in Chimney Rock and sending them into Lake Lure.
The Rocky Broad River flows into Lake Lure and has now flooded the city with debris from Chimney Rock, North Carolina, after heavy rains from Hurricane Helene.
Just a few days earlier, the lake was pristine and the perfect place for boating.
People in and around Chimney Rock have described the town center as razed.
The normally pleasant creek running along Main Street became a raging torrent that destroyed buildings, some of which had been standing since the 1950s.
“I’ve never seen concentrated damage like we’ve seen here,” said Chris Murray, an emergency manager in Pamlico County. News and observer.
“There is nothing left.” ‘The town? There is simply nothing left.
Murray said rescuers had saved more than 150 people by late Saturday who had been stranded by water.
Images show inches of mud and sediment clinging to streets along with uprooted trees, broken telephone poles and buildings turned into rubble.
Ed Broyhill, a Republican national committeeman from North Carolina and a Lake Lure homeowner, described the devastation as heartbreaking.
‘The saddest thing in the world is that many people have made a living serving tourism… They have everything from hotels, motels, restaurants, nice shops, souvenir shops and clothing stores, and all of that was razed. Every piece, everything, was washed into the lake,” Broyhill told fox news.
For decades, Chimney Rock was a quiet, picturesque escape, but it was finally put on the map when it became a setting for Hollywood.
The towering cliffs and spectacular views came to life in The Last of the Mohicans in 1992, with Chimney Rock and Hickory Nut Gorge providing the backdrop for the film’s thrilling final scenes.
The unforgettable cliff chase with Daniel Day-Lewis’ character was filmed in the rugged peaks of Chimney Rock, attracting film buffs and tourists alike to the area.
A few years earlier, in 1987, the town and nearby Lake Lure came into the spotlight thanks to Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
The town and nearby Lake Lure came into the spotlight thanks to Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray in Dirty Dancing.
The towering cliffs and spectacular views were brought to life in The Last of the Mohicans in 1992. Pictured is actor Daniel Day-Lewis.
In Lake Lure, North Carolina, approximately six feet of debris piled up on a bridge from Lake Lure to Chimney Rock, blocking access.
The Rocky Broad River flows into Lake Lure and overflowed its banks in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, after heavy rains caused by Hurricane Helene.
A family observes the town destroyed by heavy floods.
Most of Chimney Rock was substantially damaged or destroyed by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, and the Broad River flooded the village.
The unforgettable cliff chase with Daniel Day-Lewis’ character was filmed in the rugged peaks of Chimney Rock, attracting film buffs and tourists alike to the area.
The final scene of The Last of the Mohicans was filmed atop Chimney Rock in the state park.
The sleepy town, along with the sparkling waters of Lake Lure, served as the fictional Kellerman’s Resort, where Baby and Johnny’s romance unfolded against the stunning backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
The iconic Lake Lure boathouse and the now-famous lake elevator scene became symbols of the film, making the area a beloved pilgrimage site for fans.
While the area’s natural beauty has drawn people to the area for decades, it is the forces of nature that have essentially torn the community apart, with years of recovery realistic.
‘We knew Chimney Rock was simply gone. People told it to each other. Lake Lure is now the remains of Chimney Rock,’ Lizzie Brewer said. Garden and weapons.
‘My mom showed me a photo and it doesn’t even look like there’s water in it, it’s so covered in mud, pieces of wood that look like toothpicks. Entire buildings were swept into the lake.’
A destroyed house with a car underneath in Chimney Rock, North Carolina
Debris from the storm can be seen in the waters of Lake Lure in Rutherford County, near the village of Chimney Rock, as seen from above from a North Carolina National Guard aircraft on Monday.
Pamlico County Rescue Team rescue workers are shown working to clear roads of fallen trees.
Pamlico County Rescue Team rescue workers are shown working after Helene in the Chimney Rock area.
Shocking footage from Saturday captured a powerful torrent of muddy brown water rushing down what was a pristine green hillside at Chimney Rock, while the eerie sound of an emergency alert siren can be heard in the background.
The sudden waterfall swept away everything in its path, including wooden buildings and family cars, which are simply tossed aside by the rising waters like discarded toys.
Chimney Rock, which was largely destroyed by the wall of water that came down the Broad River.
As the water moved through, it carried away the buildings and everything in them.
Everything stopped when debris hit the concrete bridge between Chimney Rock and Lake Lure.
It came with such force that it blew up refrigerators and trees.
Flood debris from Hurricane Helene seen floating in Lake Lure
A wall of water rushed down the Broad River, washing away most of the structures along Main Street in Chimney Rock.
The remains of wooden buildings now look like toothpicks in the rubble.
The river empties into Lake Lure, which was filled with the remains of houses, trees and other debris.
The river empties into Lake Lure, which was filled with the remains of houses, trees and other debris.
Charlotte City Councilman Tariq Bokhari posted an X video showing the devastation at Lake Lure, calling it “post-apocalyptic.”
‘It’s so overwhelming. “You don’t even know what recovery looks like, let alone where to start,” Bokhari wrote.
