The heaviest rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ian is expected to impact the Charlotte region on Friday night going into Saturday morning. Mecklenburg County officials have tips on how to stay safe during possible flash floods — and what you can do to minimize them.
One of the first lines of defense against flash flooding are storm drains. John Wendel from Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services says there are more than 100,000 of them just in the city of Charlotte.
“Clear those storm drains," Wendel said. "If you see any type of debris blocking that storm drain, we need folks to get out there and clear it off.”
If you can, do it safely from the curbside. And if you don’t feel comfortable, call city services at 3-1-1 for help.
Next up, Wendel says, don’t drive into water, even if it doesn’t look very deep.
“There may be a sink hole there, there may be power lines down in there, there may be some obstructions in there. So the best thing to do is to turn around, don’t drown,” he said.
The current forecast calls for between two and six inches of rainfall in Charlotte this weekend.
Wendel says six inches of rushing water is enough to knock a person over and 12 inches is enough to move a car.