August 27, 2008 -- Press Conference (VIDEO)

Charlotte, NC -- In response to flooding cause by early morning rains, below is list of impacts to City services as well as the tips provided by local City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

Solid Waste Services
After some earlier delays, garbage and recycling pickup has returned to normal service.

Mecklenburg County Health Department
These heavy rains and flooding can present a number of dangers to your health and personal safety. The Mecklenburg County Health Department wants to give residents some useful information to help prevent injury and disease:

• If your home or business is damaged by floodwater, any porous or absorbent materials such as carpets, mattresses, or furniture should be thrown away.
• The longer you allow water to stand in your home, the higher the risk of health problems for bacteria or mold. Washing affected areas with a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water will help remove mold and mildew.
• Floodwaters could cause sewage to back up into homes. Wear rubber boots and waterproof gloves during cleanup if this happens. Remove and discard any contaminated household goods such as rugs, cloth and drywall, or wall coverings that cannot be disinfected.
• Floating garbage can cause serious health problems and is often overlooked by home owners. If you are at risk for flooding, ensure that all garbage and refuse is moved to higher ground or taken to a sanitary landfill.
• Snakes and other wild animals may be looking for drier and higher ground in and around homes. Some of these animals could be infected with rabies, so avoid all contact with them. Animal bites, scratches or any other contact should be reported to the Mecklenburg County Health Department at 704-336-6440.
• NEVER drive through floodwater. Water can be much deeper than it appears, and water levels can rise very quickly. If you are approaching a flooded roadway, turn around and take an alternate route. If your car stalls in floodwaters, get out immediately and move to higher ground.

CATS
Currently #20 Queens Road and #4 County Club Drive routes are still being detoured due to downed trees.  Approximately 10 routes had detours this morning due to inclement weather.  CATS sent 9  buses to 7 locations to assist emergency personnel with evacuations.

Huntersville Northcross Park and Ride at Exit 25 closed for a short time in the early morning due to flooding.

311
CharMeck 311 experienced an increase in call volume associated with the recent heavy rain.  From 12:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. on 8/27/08, the call volume stats indicate the increase in citizen contacts at 311.  311 agents responded to callers with an:

• Average Speed of Answer:  7 seconds
• Abandonment Rate:  1.5% or 15 calls

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
Between 5 and 9 a.m., officers handled 48 accidents, an above average number for that period of the day.  CMPD began voluntary evacuations of the Doral Apartments at 4 a.m. and open its Command Center at 7 a.m.  In the N. Tryon, the Shannon Park was affected as well and evacuations began in that neighborhood at around 4 a.m.

The Briar Creek, Sugar Creek and Little Sugar Creek areas were the areas most widely impacted by the flooding.  Third shift officers were held over for about four hours to assist wit manpower needs and 5^th shift officers, who typically start at 10 a.m., were called in early. 

CMPD is monitoring and prepared to respond as the water continues south into the Steele Creek and South Divisions.

Charlotte Department of Transportation
CDOT had crews out on the streets of Charlotte for over a week cleaning street drainage culverts and catch basins in anticipation of the storm. This activity was done to minimize street flooding.

The CDOT Street Division worked approximately 40 calls of street flooding beginning around 5 a.m. this morning. Crews assisted Police, Fire, and Special Service providing barricades to flooded streets.

Crews will continue to evaluate streets and drainage structures for water damage due to the storm. It is anticipated that street crews will be discovering and repairing damaged drainage structures due to the storm for a number of months to come.

CMU
Citizens' drinking water is not affected. This side of our operation is status quo.

Wastewater services have experienced no significant interruption. As expected, CMU is getting higher flows in the sanitary sewer pipe collection system, at the sewer pump stations, and the plants. Field crews are reporting and responding to what seem to be some fairly small manhole overflows and are continuing to assess the pipe system (everything is manageable at this time).

Personnel at the five wastewater plants are reporting different degrees of minor site flooding (not uncommon, due to their proximity to creeks), and the plants are processing higher incoming flows from the pipe collection system. CMU is equipped to deal with these challenges thanks to plant improvements  made over the years (such as flow equalization basins that help contain and manage how much wastewater is coming in for treatment during a heavy rain event).