Possible Flooding From "IVAN"

Charlotte, NC- Even if Hurricane Ivan doesn't dump one drop of rain on Mecklenburg County, any rain in the mountains of North Carolina will move downstream -- resulting in more flooding along the Catawba River system, especially Mountain Island Lake.

In meetings being held this week, Duke Energy forecasters and flood experts say the river that includes Lake Norman, Lake Wylie and Mountain Island Lake is already full and any additional rain or even runoff will cause the same flooding conditions, or worse, than with Hurricane Frances a few weeks ago.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Operations Director Wayne Broome is already working with Duke Power, the Health Department, emergency responders and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services to prepare for the worst and hope for the best when Ivan begins making its way toward the Carolinas.

"We want to make sure residents, particularly those along Mountain Island Lake in the Riverside Drive area, know what we know," says Broome. "We are going door-to-door to approximately 150 homes in the 100-year floodplain to tell residents of the potential issues, and ways they can protect life and property."

Duke Power is planning to hold a news conference Thursday at 10 a.m. at its headquarters in Uptown Charlotte to discuss how additional water might be managed throughout the Catawba River Basin, while Broome is planning to meet Thursday at 2 p.m. with all involved agencies to make preparations to move people out of harm's way.

"It is very likely the Red Cross will be setting up shelters again to accommodate those who are evacuated," says Broome. "We want to make people informed of the danger now, and the danger even if Mecklenburg County doesn't get torrential rainfall. People need to know that what happens in the mountains will eventually have a significant trickle-down effect here."

For more information or to see if a particular property is in the floodplain, visit the web site www.stormwaterservices.com or call 704-336-3728.

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Media Contacts:
Wayne Broome 704-336-2412
or
Bill Carroll 704-432-0362

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