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Flooded Catawba River homes prepare for more water as Duke moves Helene remnants

By Nora O’Neill

Updated December 3, 2024 7:02 PM

Hurricane Helene Aftermath

Hurricane Helene swept across the Southeast, causing major flooding and destruction throughout North Carolina. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer about Hurricane Helene and the aftermath, particularly in Western North Carolina.

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Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect south of Mountain Island Lake Saturday afternoon as completely flooded homes braced for several more feet of floodwater.

Roads near the lake and Catawba River were closed and under evacuation orders as Duke Energy pushed water through its system and into South Carolina. The Catawba River drains water from a basin that starts in western North Carolina, where Tropical Storm Helene produced floodwater that destroyed or cut off hundreds of roads. Helene also produced untold damage across the western half of the state because cellular and internet access remained limited

The mandatory evacuation order near Charlotte included areas of Riverside Drive, Lake Drive, Riverhaven Drive and some of Beagle Club Road and Hart Road, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management said Saturday afternoon. Areas near Allison Ferry Road, Arthur Auten Drive, Drake Cove Road, Neck Road, Ballypat Lane, Johnson David Road and Latta Springs were under a voluntary evacuation order.

“Things might get worse before they get better. Residents near shorelines need to stay alert to changing conditions. Flood waters will rise, even without rain,” a statement from emergency management said Saturday morning. “Water will continue to rise rapidly causing flooding along the shorelines of lakes and rivers throughout the day.

A speed limit sign is wrapped in fencing as floodwater from the Catawba River passes near the intersection of Lake Drive on Saturday, September 28, 2024. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

CharMeck ALERT: All residents who live along the shoreline of Lake Norman, Mountain Island Lake, the Catawba River, and Lake Wylie need to be aware of rising water levels and take caution. As of 12:40pm on Sept 28th, there are three areas with active evacuation orders until later… pic.twitter.com/RDIldrkpi2
— Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management (@CharMeckEM) September 28, 2024

Police at the scene said around noon the water could rise another 4 to 5 feet as Duke Energy opened another floodgate at Cowans Ford Dam. Flooding began Thursday morning, police said, and Duke began opening floodgates Friday evening, a post by emergency management said.

Duke had opened four floodgates as of 3:30 p.m. Saturday and expected to open more, according to statements from Gaston County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management.

“We remain highly concerned about flooding along the shoreline of Mountain Island Lake and the Catawba River System, from Lake Norman to Lake Wylie. The flooding is ongoing, with significant amounts of water still moving downstream,” Paige Grande, spokesperson for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management, said in an email to The Charlotte Observer.

Gaston County has a shelter open at Belmont Middle School, located at 1020 South Point Road in Belmont. Tuckaseegee Recreation Center also is serving as a shelter at 4820 Tuckaseegee Road in Charlotte.

Flooding is seen at Lake Dr. and Harwood Lane in Mt. Holly Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

Mountain Island Lake area residents

Residents gathered at the end of Harwood Lane on Mountain Island Lake alongside first responders from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the Charlotte Fire Department watching the water rise. Multiple residents said they were not prepared for flooding this bad.

Susan Covington, a resident of Lake Drive, called the flooding a catastrophic event.

“I’m so sad. I’m devastated. I had just bought my house in 2018 and spent the year remodeling when the last flood happened. I moved in in 2019 and lived in the house for three weeks when the flood happened in June,” she said. “We blame Duke Energy for that one, but this is a catastrophic event.“

Record on Mountain Island Lake

Brad Panovich, chief meterologist for WCNC Charlotte, said on X Saturday afternoon Mountain Island Lake, sitting around 107 feet at noon, approached record water levels set by the historic 1940 flood.

Jeff Brooks, a spokesperson for Duke Energy, said in a video posted to X the company was working with local emergency management teams to manage the large amounts of water dropped by the storm.

“There is a significant amount of water in our system right now because of the heavy rainfalls,” he said while standing in front of the Cowans Ford Dam. “What we’re doing now is trying to manage those water levels by moving water through the system in a controlled capacity.”

Brooks urged residents to stay updated on lake levels and alerts by local county officials.