Charlotte firefighters help search for 5 still missing after deadly mountain floods
Members of the Charlotte Fire Department are in Haywood County helping local responders look for the five people still missing after the flooding and destruction caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred.
Thirty-five people had been listed as missing on Wednesday, the day after the water rose. Two of the four missing people found dead Friday were identified as Frank Mungo, 86, and Franklin McKenzie, 68, both from the Cruso community, Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher said.
Alongside Greensboro and Mooresville fire departments, Charlotte firefighters are searching debris piles, collapsed sheds and other lightweight buildings Friday along the Pigeon River, department Capt. Dennis Gist told the Observer.
Firefighters also conducted a wide-area search of flooded neighborhoods and assessed damage to buildings in Clyde on Thursday, according to CFD’s Facebook page.
The Charlotte department has the resources to conduct water, land and collapse rescues because this is a hybrid deployment where both water and U.S. Army Reserve capabilities are available, Gist said.
Thirty-three Charlotte firefighters were on site as of Thursday afternoon, he said.
Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Wednesday and said both Haywood and Transylvania counties “were especially hard hit,” with as much as a foot of rain in two days.
Haywood County called for its own state of emergency Tuesday, warning of the potential for landslides, flooding, “power outages, damage to infrastructure and unsafe road conditions.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 3:57 PM.
