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On August 27, 2008, Charlotte-Mecklenburg was hit with the worst flooding in a decade. Hundreds of people were evacuated from homes, many by swift-water rescue boats. More than 600 homes, apartments and businesses had flood damage. Less than half had flood insurance.
Watch this short video for first-hand accounts of residents talking about the flood one year after it happened.
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Floodwater from Tropical Storm Fay didn't just damage property. It disrupted lives. Fay flood victims described the flood as:
Rainfall from Fay topped 11 inches, with part of the Briar Creek watershed getting more than two inches of rain in one hour.
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Cavalier Apartments August 27, 2008 |
See the August 27 Rainfall Map.
Water depths in some parts of Mecklenburg County exceeded the "100-year flood" level. Record flood heights were recorded on 19 local stream gauges.
Two months before the flood, Mecklenburg County had used a federal grant to help purchase the Cavalier Apartments in a floodplain buyout. The destructive flood created new urgency in plans to relocate the tenants, then tear down the entire complex.
One year later, every trace of the Cavalier Apartments was gone. The floodplain has been restored as open space.
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The 2008 flooding also prompted Mecklenburg County to spent nearly $6 million of local money to buy 37 flooded homes that met specific criteria. Quick Buy goals:
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Buy the property and tear it down before residents make repairs to a home that is very likely to flood again.
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Return the floodplain to open space.
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Provide a benefit for the entire community such as greenway along the creek or features in the floodplain to remove water pollution.
Participating in the Floodplain Buyout Program is voluntary. With the acquisition and removal of the Cavalier Apartments and the Quick Buy homes in 2009, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services restored another 27 acres of urban floodplain to open space.
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Cavalier Apartment site one year after the flood
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