Staff report
A severe storm dumped up to 6 inches of rain in Kannapolis and Concord Wednesday night, stranding motorists on flooded streets.
The storm, described as 10 miles wide and 25 miles long, skirted along the Rowan-Cabarrus County line, dumping 2 inches or more of rain in Rowan and prompting a few emergency calls in the Bostian Heights area.
Kannapolis firefighters responded to 15 calls during a two-hour period. The majority of the calls included lightning strikes, trees and power lines down and vehicles stranded in flood waters.
Firefighters rescued some motorists from high water on Jackson Park Road near the city’s main fire station.
Maria Bostian, public information officer for the fire department, said the rain was so intense, it was hard for motorists to see the water before driving in.
A fire department battalion chief driving a large SUV ended up in a flooded street but was able to get through.
“He said it was so dark and raining so hard, he didn’t realize he was in the water (until it was too late) … he got through in a big SUV.”
Most of the calls were on the southern side of town near Concord.
Concord reported 6 inches of rain, causing power outages, flooding and knocking trees down.
Concord Fire and Life Safety responded to 23 calls at the peak of the storm.
The calls included one swift water rescue and two water evacuations.
The department also responded to a structural collapse on Spring Street, which also had a lot of flooding, according to a spokesman.
Heavy rainfall caused firefighters to close down Branchview Drive.
The department called in 24 off-duty firefighters to assist with the calls.
At the height of the storm, 1,200 electric customers lost power. Power was restored by 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
Due to flooding, McGee Park as well as portions of McEachern Greenway near McGee Park and Beverly Hills Park will be closed until 1 p.m. today.
The tennis courts at Caldwell Park will be closed until 1 p.m. today.