Hurricane Helene turned color to catastrophe, wiping out Flowering Bridge, Rainbow Bridge

The before and after from Lake Lure shows how landmarks ended up destroyed during Hurricane Helene. Not one but two beloved bridges were swept away by the storm.

On the road from Chimney Rock to Lake Lure, years of work and care transformed an abandoned bridge into a garden oasis. The Flowering Bridge was a destination for photographers and visitors to stop and soak in the amazing color.

Helene turned that color to catastrophe.

“Half of the bridge is gone. It’s hard to get your head around it,” said Mary Jaeger-Gale, a Flowering Bridge board member.

“You say, ‘Oh yeah, that happens to other people, but it really won’t happen here.’ Well, I don’t think any of us are gonna say that again,” she said. “It happens.”

The Rocky Broad River surged through Hickory Nut Gorge, ripping away bridges that had stood for more than 100 years.

It wiped out what was the colorful Rainbow Bridge, full of dog collars, a memorial to pets who had passed on. A memorial to the love between a pet and owners turned to heartache by Helene.

It’s hard for Jaeger-Gale to grasp.

“I’m looking at pictures of what was our village, what was our business, what was the entrance to Chimney Rock State Park where I worked for 43 years. It’s not there anymore,” she said.

The colorful memories remain. But gardens that celebrated the beauty of the earth have been betrayed by the force of Mother Nature.

It’s too early to say whether volunteers will try to rebuild the Flowering Bridge and Rainbow Bridge. Both of them routinely drew visitors from around the country and beyond.