Flooding in Charlotte prompts evacuations, motorist rescues

By the CNN Wire Staff

Charlotte, North Carolina, received 3 inches of rain, with more in some places, a fire department spokesman said.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Parts of Interstate highways 77, 485 and 85 were flooded and temporarily shut down
• Charlotte, North Carolina, is under a flash flood watch
• Massive flooding prompts the evacuation of two neighborhoods near downtown

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(CNN) -- Massive flash flooding Friday prompted rescue operations of trapped motorists and the evacuation of at least two neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities said.

Charlotte Fire Department spokesman Capt. Robert Brisley said the city received three inches of rain, with more in some places. The fire department was evacuating two neighborhoods next to flooded creeks near downtown, he said.

Brisley said authorities and responders were carrying out at least 16 rescues of persons trapped in flooded vehicles.

The city was under a flash-flood watch.

Jennifer Frost, spokeswoman for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, said rain began to fall about lunch time; one gauge registered about 5 to 6 inches about mid-afternoon.

In her nine years of working in the area, Frost said she "never seen anything like this before."

"It came down very fast," she added. "It got so dark downtown, it looked like night."

Parts of Interstate highways 77, 485 and 85 were flooded and temporarily shut down during the storm, she said.

One hotel lobby interior was turned into a waterfall as heavy rain accumulated on the roof and poured through the lobby's light fixtures, forcing the collapse of a desktop-sized section of the ceiling, according to one hotel visitor who shared his video of the spectacle with CNN.