Charlotte's weathered more than 100 significant floods over the last century, resulting in $41 million in damage, destroying homes and killing 19 people, according to public records.
Of those 19 people, six died in just the last 20 years, including two children.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Fay caused the most recent major flood damage in Charlotte in August 2008. People who lived around Briar Creek suffered most of the damage after receiving up to 11 inches of rain in 24 hours. In all, the flood caused $8.5 million in damage to 147 homes and one business, resulted in dozens of evacuations and 20 swift water rescues, according to public records.
Jessica Mangarrez lives on the east side of Charlotte on a street that was flooded by Fay. She said every time it rains, her apartment already floods. She can only imagine what Florence will bring.
"The water's going to get in the house and everything that I have in the house is going to be trash," she worried.
In the time since Fay, Charlotte's experienced dozens of other recorded floods, causing $2 million in damage and killing a mother and daughter trying to cross a creek. However, during that same time, the government has also worked to minimize the risk to people and their property. Leaders invested $38 million buying 255 properties, replacing them with open space with the goal of saving even more money, damage and lives in the future.
"There are some neighborhoods, because of Fay, we went and bought some flood-damaged homes and businesses in specific areas," Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services Program Manager Tim Trautman said. "In big events like Florence, we expect our floodplains to flood. That's what Mother Nature intends to do to slow the water down and allow it to have space and so, in a lot of these places that are most dangerous. We're getting people and property out of those areas so they do flood during Florence with minimal damage."
Before Florence and Fay, Hurricane Danny and Tropical Storm Jerry caused major flooding in Charlotte in the 90s, costing more than $12 million in damage and killing three people, one of them a child who was swept into a creek. Danny brought with it up to 11 inches of continuous rain over a 24-hour period, while Jerry maxed out around 9 inches.
