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A Charlotte neighborhood got flooded out after Helene. These photos show their struggles.

By Observer staff
Jojo Fennel rides her toy 4-wheeler past a vacant, flood-damaged house on Riverside Drive in Charlotte last November.
Jojo Fennel rides her toy 4-wheeler past a vacant, flood-damaged house on Riverside Drive in Charlotte last November. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com

Five months after Helene-related flooding pummeled neighborhoods below Mountain Island Lake in northwest Mecklenburg County, residents there continue to cope with the kinds of messes you might imagine still need cleaning up in Western North Carolina.

A drone photograph taken on Sept. 28, 2024, shows homes below Mountain Island Lake submerged in flood water from the Catawba River.
A drone photograph taken on Sept. 28, 2024, shows homes below Mountain Island Lake submerged in flood water from the Catawba River. Mark Thompson DroneFootage.Pro
Dave Mooney crouches on the edge of the floodwaters in the neighborhood below Mountain Island Lake on Sept. 28, 2024.
Dave Mooney crouches on the edge of the floodwaters in the neighborhood below Mountain Island Lake on Sept. 28, 2024. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Uprooted fencing is shown wrapped around a speed limit sign on Sept. 28, 2024, as flooding from the Catawba River overwhelmed Lake Drive in Charlotte after Helene.
Uprooted fencing is shown wrapped around a speed limit sign on Sept. 28, 2024, as flooding from the Catawba River overwhelmed Lake Drive in Charlotte after Helene. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
“I cried for a solid month, ‘cause what do you do? You just cry,” says Betsy Patton, whose Riverhaven Drive home was narrowly spared major flood damage. Here, she stands next to her neighbor’s land — which was washed away along with the home itself.
“I cried for a solid month, ‘cause what do you do? You just cry,” says Betsy Patton, whose Riverhaven Drive home was narrowly spared major flood damage. Here, she stands next to her neighbor’s land — which was washed away along with the home itself. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Betsy Patton looks out at the Mountain Island Lake spillway last month from her backyard on Riverhaven Drive in Charlotte.
Betsy Patton looks out at the Mountain Island Lake spillway last month from her backyard on Riverhaven Drive in Charlotte. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Mitchell Peterson, left, and his fiancee Jennifer Kleine-Jaeger, photographed pointing out how high the water got on the Lake Drive home they plan to give up.
Mitchell Peterson, left, and his fiancee Jennifer Kleine-Jaeger, photographed pointing out how high the water got on the Lake Drive home they plan to give up. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Jennifer Kleine-Jaeger gazes at the Catawba River through the window of her flood-damaged Lake Drive home last November.
Jennifer Kleine-Jaeger gazes at the Catawba River through the window of her flood-damaged Lake Drive home last November. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
“I haven’t been able to sleep. I haven’t eaten right. I can’t think straight. It just made me crazy,” says Susan Covington, photographed in her ruined home last month, of the impact of the flood on her life.
“I haven’t been able to sleep. I haven’t eaten right. I can’t think straight. It just made me crazy,” says Susan Covington, photographed in her ruined home last month, of the impact of the flood on her life. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Says Macie Lambert, standing near her ravaged dock last month: “I got married in this backyard. We had my baby shower here, we had my mom’s big 50th birthday party here. Like, this place just holds so many memories.”
Says Macie Lambert, standing near her ravaged dock last month: “I got married in this backyard. We had my baby shower here, we had my mom’s big 50th birthday party here. Like, this place just holds so many memories.” KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Another look at the damaged dock behind Macie Lambert’s Lake Drive home, which her family plans to leave behind.
Another look at the damaged dock behind Macie Lambert’s Lake Drive home, which her family plans to leave behind. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
A look at properties where homes were washed away from Riverhaven Drive, with the Mountain Island Lake spillway off in the distance.
A look at properties where homes were washed away from Riverhaven Drive, with the Mountain Island Lake spillway off in the distance. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Taylor Atwood, photographed standing in her flood-damaged Riverside Drive home in January. Five months later, she and her partner Eddie are still far from being able to move back in.
Taylor Atwood, photographed standing in her flood-damaged Riverside Drive home in January. Five months later, she and her partner Eddie are still far from being able to move back in. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Donnie McGuire, photographed in the backyard of his childhood home with his dog Cash. He hopes to stay. “Once you live here, it’s hard to get away from.”
Donnie McGuire, photographed in the backyard of his childhood home with his dog Cash. He hopes to stay. “Once you live here, it’s hard to get away from.” KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Donnie McGuire clears trash as he works on salvaging belongings from his flood-damaged home on Lake Drive in Charlotte earlier this month. “We still don’t really know what’s going on,” he says of where things stand with his insurance claim.
Donnie McGuire clears trash as he works on salvaging belongings from his flood-damaged home on Lake Drive in Charlotte earlier this month. “We still don’t really know what’s going on,” he says of where things stand with his insurance claim. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Melanie Kinley stands in front of Macie Kinley Lambert’s Lake Drive home in Charlotte this month. All six Kinley families that were living in the neighborhood when it flooded have decided to move.
Melanie Kinley stands in front of Macie Kinley Lambert’s Lake Drive home in Charlotte this month. All six Kinley families that were living in the neighborhood when it flooded have decided to move. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Declan Fennel, 5, and his younger sister, Jojo, photographed last November while paying a visit with their dad to a pop-up goodwill trailer near the Fennels’ home on Riverside Drive in Charlotte.
Declan Fennel, 5, and his younger sister, Jojo, photographed last November while paying a visit with their dad to a pop-up goodwill trailer near the Fennels’ home on Riverside Drive in Charlotte. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Says Rebecca Fennel, a Riverside Drive resident photographed hugging her son Declan next to a borrowed RV in their driveway last November: “There’s a lot of people here whose lives are completely destroyed by this, and they deserve just as much support” as Helene victims in the mountains.
Says Rebecca Fennel, a Riverside Drive resident photographed hugging her son Declan next to a borrowed RV in their driveway last November: “There’s a lot of people here whose lives are completely destroyed by this, and they deserve just as much support” as Helene victims in the mountains. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
An “unsafe” note posted by a county inspector on the door of Macie Kinley’s flood-damaged home on Lake Drive in Charlotte.
An “unsafe” note posted by a county inspector on the door of Macie Kinley’s flood-damaged home on Lake Drive in Charlotte. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com

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