North Carolina residents are being urged to evacuate due to the “imminent” breach of levees caused by flooding from Hurricane Helene

Residents downstream of a dam in North Carolina have been ordered to evacuate after the barrier was “compromised” by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene.

In a series of Facebook posts Friday, the Rutherfood County Emergency Management Agency urged residents to immediately flee to higher ground due to flash flooding that inundated Lake Lure Dam.

“Water climbs the dam and flows around the side walls. The structural supports are damaged, but the dam is currently holding,” the ministry said at 1:44 p.m. local time.

“There were evacuations from the dam to Island Creek Road. Evacuation sirens are sounding below the dam.”

It was a welcome change from Friday morning, when emergency authorities clearly warned that the dam would soon collapse completely.

“RESIDENTS BELOW LAKE LURE DAM MUST IMMEDIATELY EVACUATE TO HIGHER AREA!!” officials said. “DAM FAILURE IMPANT!!”

The state Department of Environmental Quality also told the Associated Press that there were no signs the dam would collapse soon.

At least 37 people died in several states Friday morning after Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida as a Category 4 storm, lashing the West Coast in “unsurvivable” conditions before weakening as it made its way inland.

In another Facebook post, local wedding and portrait photographer Helen Pace, who lives across Lake Lure from the dam, shared images of her badly damaged home and a road destroyed by floodwaters.

“We feel good physically,” she said. “The water has started to recede and I think we have dodged the forecast winds…

“We can’t go out now, we have no electricity, no water and cell phone reception seems to be limited. I send my love to you all.”

Rutherford County's evacuation orders named a total of 45 streets in two separate Facebook posts. Officials said storm shelters have been opened at Lake Lure City Hall and Rutherfordtown Presbytarian Church.

Lure Dam was built in 1927 on the Broad River, about an hour's drive east of Asheville and two hours west of Charlotte.

Lake Lure itself is best known nationwide as the filming location for the 1987 film Dirty dancingwhich used it as a replacement for the Catskill Mountains in northern New York State.