CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The area of necessary evacuations along the Catawba River in both Mecklenburg and Gaston counties is expanding because of rising flood waters.
An initial evacuation near Mountain Island Lake is now being expanded along the river starting at the dam near the McGuire Nuclear Station and continuing south to the beginning of Lake Wylie. This includes the initial evacuation area near Mountain Island Lake and expands to include river communities near the Whitewater Center, Berryhill Nature Preserve and Nivens Cove.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Agency has released a new map highlighting where residents should be prepared to evacuate. They say the reason for the additional evacuations is because Duke Energy, the power company that maintains the water flow coming out of Lake Norman, needs to send additional water downstream.
Mecklenburg County has opened a shelter at 4820 Tuckaseegee Road in Charlotte. A similar shelter in Gaston County is being relocated from the Citizens Resource Center in Dallas to Belmont Middle School, which is located at 1020 South Point Road.
Starting on Wednesday, evacuation orders were issued for residents near Mountain Island Lake in northwest of Charlotte. This included homes along Riverside Drive, Lake Drive, Riverhaven Drive and parts of Beaglue Club Road and Hart Road near Mountain Island Lake.
Meteorologist Chris Mulcahy said an isolated flash flood emergency like this is very rare.
"It's getting worse and worse and they're expecting a record crest of 110 feet," Mulcahy said.
For perspective, Mountain Island Lake is normally 96 feet in elevation with a maximum of 100 feet. The Catawba River has already reached 103.15 feet at the Mountain Island Dam, which is the sixth-highest level.
WCNC Charlotte's Richard DeVayne saw a water rescue along Riverside Drive, just off Mount Holly-Huntersville Road, early Friday. That area is prone to flooding during heavy rain. This happened after several residents moved their vehicles to higher ground before the storm arrived.
A National Guard truck coming down the road got stuck in a culvert around 4:30 a.m. Charlotte Fire's water rescue team had to free the people who were trapped inside the truck.
Bobby Graham, a division chief with the Charlotte Fire Department, said the agency had concerns for residents in western Mecklenburg County ahead of the storm. Graham said the concern was even greater for people near Mountain Island Lake and the Catawba River.
"Residents particularly around Mountain Island Lake," he said, "and along Lake Norman, (Lake) Wylie and the Catawba River should prepare now, because we are going to have to issue volunteer evacuation orders."
But Erik Jendersen, who lives on the Catawba River, said he's seen flooding impacts before and believes action wasn't taken quickly enough. His own home flooded back in 2019 and was a total loss.
"A week ago we were expecting this system," he said. "Duke Energy knew this at that time. Why weren't the lake levels lowered drastically? How could that happen again?"
Jendersen even used a canoe to get things from his home Friday -- the same canoe he used in 2019.
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