Flash floods ripped through Charlotte, N.C., on Friday, damaging roofs, tearing down sheds and leaving two people dead. Then the water receded almost as quickly as it rose.
One victim was identified as Gracie Nell Johnson, 43, who the police said ran into a creek after fleeing a Burlington Coat Factory store, where she had been trying to shoplift. Ms. Johnson’s body was found Friday. The police said a second person ran into the creek at the same time.
The police confirmed a second death on Saturday, but the identity was not released pending notification of the family.
WCNC-TV in Charlotte aired this report on Friday about Ms. Johnson, showing the store the police say she fled and the creek where she drowned. The video also interviews a man identified as her husband and reports that the second drowning victim was the couple’s daughter. Officials would not confirm that assertion, nor would they say whether the victim found Saturday was the person who went missing with Ms. Johnson.
------------------
-------------
Mark Basnight, a spokesman for the Charlotte Fire Department, said that the city received as much as four inches of rain on Friday, and that his department responded to more than 30 calls for rescues in a four-hour period from people stranded in homes and cars. Several neighborhoods were also evacuated. The American Red Cross said in a statement that at least 80 houses had been damaged, and that the number was expected to grow.
“The Charlotte-Mecklenburg area is prone to flash floods the way the Southwest is prone to wild land fires,” Mr. Basnight said. “Especially in the urban areas.”
This report from WBTV-TV, a CBS affiliate in Charlotte, shows people wading through water that is above waist level and shows cars struggling through what look like murky rivers.
-------------
-----------------
This video, which WCNC says was recorded on a cellphone by a man named Erik Slemon, shows water pouring through the ceiling of the Embassy Suites hotel where Mr. Slemon and his father, Allan Goldberg, were staying. Water streams over furniture and a television, and onto the floor, until a piece of the ceiling comes crashing down. WCNC said that no one was injured at the hotel.
-------------
---------------
One victim was identified as Gracie Nell Johnson, 43, who the police said ran into a creek after fleeing a Burlington Coat Factory store, where she had been trying to shoplift. Ms. Johnson’s body was found Friday. The police said a second person ran into the creek at the same time.
The police confirmed a second death on Saturday, but the identity was not released pending notification of the family.
WCNC-TV in Charlotte aired this report on Friday about Ms. Johnson, showing the store the police say she fled and the creek where she drowned. The video also interviews a man identified as her husband and reports that the second drowning victim was the couple’s daughter. Officials would not confirm that assertion, nor would they say whether the victim found Saturday was the person who went missing with Ms. Johnson.
------------------
-------------
Mark Basnight, a spokesman for the Charlotte Fire Department, said that the city received as much as four inches of rain on Friday, and that his department responded to more than 30 calls for rescues in a four-hour period from people stranded in homes and cars. Several neighborhoods were also evacuated. The American Red Cross said in a statement that at least 80 houses had been damaged, and that the number was expected to grow.
“The Charlotte-Mecklenburg area is prone to flash floods the way the Southwest is prone to wild land fires,” Mr. Basnight said. “Especially in the urban areas.”
This report from WBTV-TV, a CBS affiliate in Charlotte, shows people wading through water that is above waist level and shows cars struggling through what look like murky rivers.
-------------
-----------------
This video, which WCNC says was recorded on a cellphone by a man named Erik Slemon, shows water pouring through the ceiling of the Embassy Suites hotel where Mr. Slemon and his father, Allan Goldberg, were staying. Water streams over furniture and a television, and onto the floor, until a piece of the ceiling comes crashing down. WCNC said that no one was injured at the hotel.
-------------
---------------
No comments:
Post a Comment