Charlotte Observer Logo

3-day deluge reaches up to 11 inches | Charlotte Observer

×
  • E-edition
  • Customer Service
  • Advertise
  • Newsletters

    • News
    • Local
    • Crime
    • Databases
    • Education
    • Election
    • Politics
    • Nation/World
    • Special Reports
    • North Carolina
    • South Carolina
    • Corrections
    • Columnists
    • Retro Charlotte
    • Your Schools
    • All Blogs & Columns
    • Sports
    • Carolina Panthers
    • Charlotte Hornets
    • That's Racin'
    • High Schools
    • College Sports
    • Charlotte Knights/MLB
    • Other Sports
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Inside the Panthers
    • Inside the NBA
    • Prep Insiders
    • Scott Fowler
    • Tom Sorensen
    • All Blogs & Columns
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • The North Carolina Influencer Series
    • RNC 2020
    • Business
    • Banking
    • Stocks Center
    • Top Workplaces
    • National Business
    • What's in Store
    • Development
    • All Blogs & Columns
    • Living
    • Religion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Family
    • Home & Garden
    • CLT Style
    • Travel
    • Living Here Guide
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • I'll Bite
    • Kathleen Purvis
    • All Blogs & Columns
    • Arts/Culture
    • Events
    • Movie News & Reviews
    • Restaurants
    • Music/Nightlife
    • Television
    • Books
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Rewards
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • All Blogs & Columns
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Kevin Siers
    • Letters
    • Submit an Op-ed
    • Submit a Letter
    • Viewpoint
    • All Blogs & Columns
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • O-Pinion
    • You Write The Caption
    • Taylor Batten
    • Peter St. Onge
  • Celebrations
  • Obituaries
  • TV Listings

  • Public Notices
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Virtual Career Fair
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
  • Place an ad
  • Mobile & Apps

  • MomsCharlotte
  • Carolina Bride Magazine
  • South Park Magazine

Local

3-day deluge reaches up to 11 inches

By Bruce Henderson - bhenderson@charlotteobserver.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

August 28, 2008 12:00 AM

The Charlotte region began to dry out Wednesday from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay, which dumped up to 11 inches of rain, leaving hundreds of homes flood-damaged or evacuated, streets under water and schools closed.

The flooding, some of the most damaging in recent years, was worst in areas east of Interstate 77 and south of I-85.

Hard-hit Cabarrus County, where about 60 structures were damaged and 11 roads remained impassable Wednesday night, declared a state of emergency. That paves the way for property owners to claim federal flood-damage money.

But no injuries were reported, and the receding water left behind a gift: the likelihood of marked improvement in a drought now in its second year.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

In Charlotte, firefighters began rescuing stranded drivers at 2 a.m. on Wednesday. They would make at least 35 rescues.

By 4 a.m., automated rain gauges signaled rising water in Briar Creek. The surge forced authorities to close East Independence Boulevard, Albemarle Road and Central Avenue at times during the morning rush hour.

Firefighters went door-to-door at the often-flooded Doral and Cavalier apartments on Monroe Road as Briar's waters submerged cars in the parking lot. About 200 people were evacuated.

Floods have caused more than $12 million in damage to the apartments since 1995. The county bought the Cavalier portion of the complex early this summer as part of its program to remove flood-prone structures, said Tim Troutman, the county's flood-mitigation manager. About 150 families have not yet been relocated, although 30 tenants had moved out.

Huddled later at a shelter at East Mecklenburg High School, four-year resident Francine Kenion said she'd been warned.

“They said it floods there, and I said, ‘Oh, it'll be OK, it'll be all right.' Then there's this,” she said. “We're moving.”

Red Cross shelters open

About 100 Mecklenburg County homes suffered flood damage, with water levels inside from two inches to five feet, emergency management director Wayne Broome said.

Flood maps were last revised in 2000, Troutman said, and are being updated. But he said no waters appeared to rise higher than the 100-year flood line on existing maps.

Sixty-seven people were still at the East Mecklenburg shelter by mid-afternoon, the Red Cross reported, and more were expected Wednesday night. The Red Cross also opened shelters in Harrisburg, Concord and Kannapolis.

Callers reported problems Wednesday with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's geo-notify system, which sends automated notifications to communities. A number of people reported getting a call, but hearing nothing on the line operated by the department's crime prevention division.

The department couldn't provide its 911 call volumes Wednesday, but said it operated smoothly. The Observer has reported that the system has struggled to quickly answer calls during major storms, rush hours and public events. The Charlotte City Council this year approved five more dispatcher and three supervisor positions.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg's water system wasn't affected, officials said. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities reported no significant sewage spills.

By Wednesday afternoon, inundated creeks – Briar, Sugar, Little Sugar and McMullen – were subsiding. But the Rocky River in Cabarrus County, like some creeks in southern Mecklenburg, was still rising as water poured downstream.

Evacuations in Cabarrus

In Cabarrus, rescuers made at least 15 swift-water saves as floodwaters damaged homes, and closed schools and roads.

Kannapolis firefighters started evacuating the 51 residents of Kannapolis Village Longterm Care at 5:30 a.m., along with a dozen residents of a nearby trailer park.

Two mobile home parks, on German Drive and Country View Road, were closed. Residents of the Timber Forest subdivision got reverse-911 calls about the evacuation.

South of Charlotte, on Lake Wylie, Camp Thunderbird director Andy Kane said it was the most rain he'd seen fall there in 24 hours. Fifteen miles below the Wylie dam, at Landsford Canal State Park, the Catawba was high on its banks, but not flooding.

“This is the highest I've seen the Catawba in several years,” said park ranger Don Oneppo, “but nothing like the flooding we had back in the spring of '03.”

Steve Lyttle, Victoria Cherrie, Greg Lacour, Ann Doss Helms, Gail Smith-Arrants, Joe Marusak, April D. Bethea, Dan Huntley, Hannah Mitchell, Cleve R. Wootson and Celeste Smith contributed.

Related stories from Charlotte Observer

local

Rain fills lakes, ends drought?

August 28, 2008 12:00 AM

business

Flooding swamps restoration companies

August 28, 2008 12:00 AM

HOMEPAGE

<b>Observer photos</b> | Damage from the deluge

August 28, 2008 06:05 AM

HOMEPAGE

<b>Reader Photos</b> | Flooding across the region

August 27, 2008 06:15 PM

  Comments  

Videos

Rookie USA Kids Fashion Show features celebrities in Charlotte

Owners HQ shoe showcasing event at Mint wows fans

View More Video

Trending Stories

The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game was looking weak. Then some strong basketball saved it.

February 16, 2019 02:26 AM

A 6th grader asked a billionaire for tickets to the All-Star Game. His school got 30.

February 17, 2019 01:44 PM

The NFL reaches a settlement with Colin Kaepernick. And EVERYONE is talking about it

February 16, 2019 08:00 AM

Driver fatally shoots stranger who jumped on car hood, broke window in Charlotte

February 16, 2019 07:00 PM

Hornets rookie Miles Bridges’ Larry Johnson tribute not enough in slam-dunk contest

February 16, 2019 11:06 PM

things to do

Read Next

Girlfriend let him have sex with another woman, but he lost his pants and $10K, NC cops say

Crime

Girlfriend let him have sex with another woman, but he lost his pants and $10K, NC cops say

By Noah Feit

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 17, 2019 05:25 PM

An NC man in an open relationship was with his girlfriend when he went to have sex with another woman, but after stripping naked he was attacked and robbed of his pants and $10,000 in the pocket, police said.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Charlotte Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE LOCAL

Suspected thief is beaten by store employees until his pulse stopped, NC cops say

Crime

Suspected thief is beaten by store employees until his pulse stopped, NC cops say

February 17, 2019 02:37 PM
Did you see ATV’s and dirt bikes around Charlotte Saturday? Some drivers were arrested.

Crime

Did you see ATV’s and dirt bikes around Charlotte Saturday? Some drivers were arrested.

February 17, 2019 11:27 AM
Homicides: 3 people shot and killed in 3 days in Charlotte area, police say

Crime

Homicides: 3 people shot and killed in 3 days in Charlotte area, police say

February 16, 2019 07:53 PM
Driver fatally shoots stranger who jumped on car hood, broke window in Charlotte

Crime

Driver fatally shoots stranger who jumped on car hood, broke window in Charlotte

February 16, 2019 07:00 PM
‘Please hurry:’ Police release emotional 911 audio from Rock Hill triple shooting

Crime

‘Please hurry:’ Police release emotional 911 audio from Rock Hill triple shooting

February 15, 2019 03:52 PM
The other big Duke-Carolina game: Will the Daily Tar Heel or The Chronicle prevail?

Local

The other big Duke-Carolina game: Will the Daily Tar Heel or The Chronicle prevail?

February 15, 2019 07:16 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Charlotte Observer App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
Advertising
  • Information
  • Place a Classified
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story