By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
Emergency responders across Rowan and Cabarrus counties went into the rescue, evacuation and detour modes Wednesday as streams flooded with upwards of 8 inches of rain.
The Rowan County Rescue Squad used boats to retrieve seven people whose home became an island when Crane Creek overflowed at Faith and Byrd roads. (See accompanying story.)
In Salisbury, water from Town Creek was knee deep in a trailer park along Bringle Ferry Road, although an evacuation was not ordered. Evacuations were more prevalent in Kannapolis and Cabarrus County, and Cabarrus officials declared a state of emergency. (See story.)
Some Rowan-Salisbury school buses weren’t able to navigate their usual routes Wednesday morning, causing some students to get to school late. Rowan-Salisbury schools started at their regular times, but Kannapolis City Schools ran under a two-hour delay.
The rain was too much to handle for four Salisbury sewer pump stations and the city’s two wastewater treatment plants ó Grants Creek and Town Creek.
Both sewage plants had spills, including a “major spill” of more than 400,000 gallons at the Town Creek facility.
Salisbury officials notified the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and downstream users of the Yadkin River about the spills. Both wastewater treatment plants were “running flat out” trying to accommodate the incredible inflow of water, said Jeff Jones, planning and research manager for the utility.
In Salisbury, Town Creek overflowed in the area of East Innes Street near Interstate 85 and Arlington Street. The waters rose toward businesses such as Circle K, Verizon Wireless, Firestone, Starbucks and Blue Bay and stranded motorists, some of whom tried unsuccessfully to drive through.
Kelly Yates, who was on her way to work, stopped when she saw the flooding to take photographs, and she documented one man’s attempt to go through the water with his Toyota pickup. When he became stranded, Tony Sherrill sat on his truck and waited for the Fire Department’s help. (See accompanying story.)
Two other people were stranded in a car at the Blue Bay restaurant.
Yates described all the flooding in the East Innes Street-Arlington Street area as Salisbury’s new lake. Many other Salisburians stopped on the edge of the flooding to take photographs, often with their cell phones, as traffic was detoured away from the area all day.
Water at the Circle K was rising up the gas pumps.
The on-and-off ramps at the Innes Street exits to Interstate 85 remained waterlogged Wednesday afternoon, Salisbury Police Chief Mark Wilhelm confirmed.
“You can get off and go east,” Wilhelm said Wednesday around 2 p.m.
The fire and police departments sought portable lights Wednesday afternoon to light up all sides of the flooded area on East Innes Street for the nighttime hours.
Burger King employee Nikkarrius Luckey said East Innes Street flooded worse early Wednesday. About 4:30 a.m., flood waters swamped Burger King’s parking lot, but the water had cleared by 9 a.m. and people were looking over flooded Town Creek while getting their breakfast.
“It was like a faucet coming up this morning at 4:30,” she said. “Believe it or not, this lady drove through there in a Land Rover. … When she got through, she waved at us and went on.”
The creek was overflowing at the back of Bojangle’s, closing the drive-through area but not the restaurant itself.
An industrial blue trash bin sat in the middle of Innes Street in the floodwaters along with smaller trash cans and trees floating by.
The water covered all the new landscaping the city and Department of Transportation had done at the interchange.
By nightfall the water had drained and Innes Street was reopened about 8:15 p.m.
In eastern Rowan County, a car overturned in water on Liberty Road near Morgan Road, according to radio scanner traffic. The teenage driver in the car escaped unharmed.
At one point, a school bus driver reported being stranded and floating in high water on Glover Road, but scanner transmissions later said the bus made it through.
Close to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Rowan County Sheriff’s deputies reported a family was stranded by flood waters in the 900 block of Old Highway 80. But the people in the house refused help, saying they could leave in another direction if needed.
Some Rowan and Cabarrus County areas soaked up more than 8 inches of rain since Monday afternoon.
At Goodnight’s store near Enochville, employees measured 7.33 inches of rain between 8 a.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday. In addition, the store had recorded .91 inches for the prior 24 hours.
The Kannapolis water plant recorded 6.79 inches between Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. For the prior 24 hours, the water plant logged an additional 1.77 inches.
The Piedmont Research Station in western Rowan County reported 5.4 inches of rain fell between 8 a.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Billy Overman, a longtime weather observer in Rockwell, said Wednesday morning 7.22 inches of rain had fallen since the storm system came in Monday afternoon.
At city Fire Station 3 in Salisbury, total rainfall up to 6 a.m. Wednesday had been 7.38 inches.
Recognizing their measurements weren’t scientific by any means, personnel at the Rowan County Airport said they had close to 12 inches of rain in a bucket.
Steve Weatherford, head of the city’s street division, said East Innes Street near I-85 was the city’s worst situation. Flooding also was reported near Knox Middle School, on Mocksville Avenue at Eagle Heights and in the Country Club of Salisbury/Confederate Avenue/City Lake area.
Buses weren’t able to pass some high-water areas in Rowan, such as bridges on Glover and Shue roads, said Judy Burris, transportation director for the Rowan-Salisbury School System.
Burris said she didn’t know how many students’ buses weren’t able to pick up Wednesday morning. By about 9:05 a.m., buses had arrived at all but three schools ó Faith and Landis elementary schools and East Rowan High School.
Buses at other schools, such as Knox Middle and Overton, China Grove and Corriher-Lipe elementary schools, were delayed, Burris said.
A creek rose near the campuses of Knox and Overton schools. By the time school was in session, the water had receded and cars and buses could pass through.
“The creeks are our main problem,” Burris said, “the bridges in the rural areas.”
School bus drivers are trained to not drive through high water, Burris said. When drivers called the transportation office with concerns about particular areas, a law-enforcement officer, school system mechanic or bus route supervisor went to the scene.
Burris said students would not be considered late for school Wednesday. Students not able to ride the bus will likely get excused absences.
Kannapolis City Schools opted for a two-hour delay to give water time to recede, said Ellen Boyd, spokeswoman for the school system.
“There were too many flooded roads,” she said.
Overall, crews with Salisbury-Rowan Utilities were dealing with several residential sewer backups and scattered areas of flooding, City Manager David Treme said.
Jones, of Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, said the National Weather Service predicted the height of the Yadkin River will peak this afternoon or evening. It’s not supposed to flood, but city officials are keeping a watch.
High Rock Lake’s elevation increased about 2 feet Wednesday, rising to 4.7 feet below full pond by 4 p.m.