Clean up and damage assessment will continue today after heavy rains and strong storms blew through the area Thursday. A number of roads remained closed this morning due to flooding, debris, or damage to the roadway. Police remind you to not drive around barricades and never try to drive through water across the road. Some streams and rivers in the are are continuing to run very high, especially Johns River and Lake Rhodhiss, A few more showers are possible this morning and a Flood Warning remains in effect until 10:15 for Southwestern Caldwell and Central Burke. Schools across the area delayed the start of classes for students. Power outages were also a problem this morning but the outages were not widespread. As of this morning,
Catawba County and Burke County as well as the City of Hickory and Conover have all declared a Sate of Emergency due the the flooding and damage left behind. Some residents in Catawba County had to be evacuated due to rising waters and a sink hole. That prompted the American Red Cross to open a temporary shelter at Catawba Valley Community College which has since closed. Several tornadoes were reported to have touched down in Cleveland, Gaston, and Cabarrus counties causing lots of damage. Representatives from the National Weather Service will visit those and other areas today to determine if the damage was, in fact, caused by tornadoes. The problem today will be the wind. Local officials are concerned that with the ground saturated, the wind may cause more trees to fall in the area leading to more danger and possible power outages. A Wind Advisory is in effect through 6pm for the entire area. Look for winds from 15 to 25 miles an hour with possible gusts near 40 miles per hour. We will keep you posted throughout the day on your radio and also on our Facebook and Twitter and our website GoFoothills.com
