See where Helene floodwaters damaged the most buildings in Mecklenburg County
After Helene’s floodwaters rushed down the Catawba River, spilling over the river’s banks and into area homes, Mecklenburg County code enforcement officials inspected buildings on some 150 properties to see if they were safe for power to be restored.
Most were not.
About half had a building that needed significant repairs before power could be turned back on, according to a Charlotte Observer analysis of county data. About 20 others needed moderate work.
All of the homes lined either Mountain Island Lake or the river just below the lake’s dam. Most were located on just three roads.
County code enforcement inspectors visited about 50 properties north of the lake’s dam. About a dozen of them needed repairs before power could be restored, data show.
Five structures needed significant work (in red below) and and eight needed moderate work (yellow). Buildings on the remaining properties were deemed safe for power to be turned back on (green).
The devastation was much worse south of Mountain Island Lake’s dam, records show.
There, inspectors visited about 100 properties, nearly all on just three roads — Riverside, Riverhaven and Lake drives. Sixty-five percent of them needed significant work, inspectors ruled. Another 15% needed moderate work, data show.
Officials described some buildings as “completely gone,” records show. After inspecting one home on Riverside Drive, the inspector wrote, “Flood 6’ (feet) above finish floor.”
Power was eventually restored to all properties — unless the homeowner chose not to make repairs or to return to the property, a county spokesperson said.
Read here how Mountain Island Lake area homeowners must decide whether to remain in a place they once viewed as heaven after experiencing two severe floods since 2019.
This story was originally published February 26, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
