Lake Lure water levels are slowly receding after a mandatory evacuation was announced for residents below the dam in low-lying flood-prone areas. Mass notification sirens have been activated, according to the Town of Lake Lure.

Emergency crews and residents scrambled Friday morning as Helene — the hurricane downgraded to a tropical storm — threatened to overwhelm the Lake Lure dam in western North Carolina. A mandatory evacuation was ordered Friday morning, as local officials notified the National Weather Service that a dam failure was imminent.

Several counties in western North Carolina are experiencing flooding caused by heavy rain from what was Helene.