(12:30 P.M.) - The city of Hendersonville has enacted the Flood Response PlanLevel 3, meaning major flooding is occurring.

News 13 crews saw rushing water along Greenville Highway near Publix Thursday morning. Police were blocking off the road at Chadwick Avenue.

Residents and businesses in the floodway and floodplain should review the urgent preparedness information. City government offices are closed as of noon Thursday through Friday, Sept. 27.

.

--

(11 A.M.) - Gov. Roy Cooper holds a press update on Helene preps.

--

(10 A.M.) - Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder and Buncombe County EMS Director Taylor Jones provide updates on Hurricane Helene preparations, precautions, and the current State of Emergency.

-

Flooding and power outages are reported around the mountains Wednesday evening and Thursday morning due to consistent rain and downpours.

As of Thursday morning, says there are more than 30 road closures around the mountains due to weather. News 13 crews reported ponding water on parts of Interstate 26 early Thursday morning.

Viewer video out of Biltmore Village in Asheville showed cars driving through high water, with one sedan nearly becoming submerged.

A photo out of Spruce Pine showed flood waters at a cabin at Gem Mountain. Video showed water rushing underneath a nearby road.

Emergency crews in Rutherford County sent an alert around 11:38 p.m. Wednesday, warning that the Lake Lure tainter gates were operating above six feet and warned residents below the dam in low-lying areas to stay alert for rising waters.

McDowell County Emergency Management ordered a mandatory evacuation for River Breeze Campground, located in Marion, due to flash flooding. An emergency shelter was open at Glenwood Baptist Church, located at 155 Glenwood Baptist Church Road.

Many and across the mountains Thursday due to the threat of flooding and wind. States of emergency have been issued locally and .

Heavy, widespread rain will continue Thursday ahead of Helene's arrival in the mountains. More heavy rain will fall Thursday night and Friday morning.

Helene will strengthen rapidly as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico toward a landfall in the Florida Panhandle later Thursday. The current track brings the storm up toward WNC, with potential wind and heavy rain impacts beginning Thursday night continuing through Friday morning.

--

POWER OUTAGES: