ASHVILLE NC – Lake Lure’s Rainbow Bridge, a memorial to dogs and other pets who have died, is gone because it was washed away during Hurricane Helene’s march through the west. North Carolina last month.

Located southeast of Asheville, the Rainbow Bridge was part of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, a series of gardens and other trellises located on and around a pedestrian bridge that crossed the Broad River and connected the towns of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock.

The area was pounded by about 22.5 inches of rain Helen on Sept. 24-28, according to the FOX Forecast Center. This caused the Broad River to rise and rise more than 15 feet, drowning its banks in silt and floodwater.

“We lost everything,” said Linda Randeau, board member and volunteer at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge. “We lost the Flower Bridge and we lost the Rainbow Bridge Hurricane Helene. It’s quite devastating, actually.”

Rainbow Bridge before Helene. Notice the Broad River in the background (Reprinted with permission from Lake Lure Flowering Bridge / FOX Weather)

The Rainbow Bridgeonce painted in rainbow colors and adorned with the colorful collars and tags of the animals that were so beloved by their people, it is now all but gone and replaced by mud and brown debris.

Reandeau herself had placed a collar on the bridge in memory of her long-haired dachshund, Georgia, who died at the age of 13. Georgia’s collar, along with that of others. pets which were hanging on the Rainbow Bridge, now lost to Helene.

“She was a real sweetheart. So I don’t have her tag anymore because I put her on that deck. But, you know, it was just a label. I still have pictures of her and her other puppy. We actually had two tags down there, our other puppy,” Reandeau said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Reandeau, placing a dog collar on the Rainbow Bridge for a visitor who had recently lost his dog. (Reprinted with permission from Lake Lure Flowering Bridge / FOX Weather)

Apart from the Rainbow Bridge, Lake Lure’s Blooming Bridge and all its gardens were also completely devastated.

Built in 2013, the Blooming Bridge was a vehicular bridge that was converted into a volunteer-run botanical garden, Reandeau said. The green space also extended beyond the bridge, with 30 gardens and more than 2,200 flowers, trees and other plants growing along the banks of the Broad River.

One of those gardens was the River’s Edge Dog Garden, which Reandeau was cared for. It had stones shaped like paw prints, plus a red hydrant and a bench for the chickens and their humans.

Those lush gardens were washed downstream during Helene, replacing the vibrant green and berry colors of the mud gardens from the flood.

The riverside dog park before Helene. The Broad River can be seen in the background (Reprinted with permission from Lake Lure Flowering Bridge / FOX Weather)

The future of Lake Lure’s Blooming Bridge, along with all the gardens and the beloved Rainbow Bridge, is uncertain, especially since the pedestrian bridge that crossed the Broad River is no longer structurally sound, Reandeau said.

She noted that the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge board will have to decide what the future holds as the greater Lake Lure community and many other communities in western North Carolina are still reeling from the impact of Helene.

The area where Rainbow Bridge and Dog Garden were before Helene. (Reprinted with permission from Lake Lure Flowering Bridge / FOX Weather)

“I would just ask that everyone keep western North Carolina in their thoughts and prayers and continue to donate to the relief efforts for the entire area,” Reandeau said. “The pictures are horrible. But when you see them in person, it’s much worse.”

For now, the Lake Lure Flower Bridge is in a recovery process. Reandeau noted that they are not accepting new volunteers and are instead limiting the number of people at the site for safety reasons.

Instead, she encourages people to keep up with the site through the Lake Lure Flower Bridge Facebook page, Instagram account and the official website. People can also donate officially Lake Lure Flowering Bridge website.

Find more updates on this story at FOXWeather.com.