Flooding, storms cause major problems across the area

Severe weather and heavy rain made its way across the Catawba Valley area today causing major flooding, downed trees, numerous accidents, and most all school systems dismissed students early. Some spotty power outages were also reported.   Catawba County, Burke County as well as the City of Hickory and Conover have declared a Sate of Emergency due the the flooding and damage left behind.  Some residents had to be evacuated due to rising waters and a sink hole.  That prompted the American Red Cross to open a shelter at Catawba Valley Community College,  Numerous roads across Caldwell and Burke Counties were also under water,  Some roads remain closed and police remind you do not drive around barricades and never try to drive through standing water.  Area rivers are also continuing to run very high and may overflow their banks.   Several tornadoes were reported to have touched down in Cleveland, Gaston, and Cabarrus counties causing damage to homes and snapping trees.  We have compiled a list of closings and cancellations along with helpful links about road closings you can find on our Kicks 103.3 Facebook page.  A flood watch remains in effect until later tonight and more rain is possible before things begin to clear out after midnight.