Three straight days of torrential rains put two counties in the foothills of North Carolina in states of emergency Sunday.
Catawba County, which includes the city of Hickory, and Caldwell County, which holds Lenoir, were each put into states of emergency Sunday morning due to severe flooding, waterline breaks and loss of power.
The Hickory Fire Department alone said it has had at least 12 water rescues since Friday.
“Since Friday afternoon, the City of Hickory has experienced prolonged periods of heavy rainfall, resulting in flooding and flash flooding in some areas,” a statement from city officials said. “Flooding in the City has resulted in significant infrastructure damage to streets, bridges, and other public infrastructure, as well as citizens being displaced from their homes.”
Catawba County officials have turned Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) into a temporary shelter for victims forced to evacuate from their homes.
Many roads have been blocked throughout the foothills due to the heavy floods.
Three people in Lincoln County Saturday night, which is just south of Catawba County, died when the car they were traveling in hydroplaned and crashed into a creek, trapping the car and the passengers under six feet of water.
In Caldwell County, power outages lasted into Sunday night, while the flooding of several streets remained an issue.
Rain is expected to continue well into Monday.