Towns in Gaston County that experienced flooding, power outages back to normal | WFAE 90.7

When the Catawba River began to swell Friday, water flooded several streets in Mount Holly, west of Charlotte. But downtown restaurants and shops remained mostly dry.

“There was flooding and I’m sure a lot of people were upset about the lack of power,” said Brent Bickel, an insurance agent working downtown. “But something like this is something we can handle compared to what happened in Asheville, North Carolina.”

For many residents, this meant losing a refrigerator full of food. But for several people who lived near the water, the loss was grave.

When Dutchman’s Creek overflowed, it flooded the 28 apartment complex in Mount Holly near downtown. Trinity McMillan was just getting ready to move out with her two children.

“I lost everything I packed. My couch, my sofa, my TVs. My child’s new bedroom set was boxed and unassembled,” McMillan said. “I was working on a new beginning. Before I moved into this apartment, I was homeless and my two children lived in my car. That was my rebrand and now it’s gone. Now I have to start all over again, so it’s very devastating for me because I don’t know how I’ll even start.

A few miles southwest of Mount Holly in Cramerton, levels remained high on the South Fork of the Catawba River on Monday. Several restaurants overlook the river, but none of them experienced flooding and everything was business as usual. The water approached Floyd & Blackies, where Kinley Kpacha works. The restaurant closed early Friday when the river rose, but reopened Saturday.

Kapcha says many people come here from nearby towns.

“They kind of went a little crazy because a lot of the people who were here were from out of town. A lady from South Carolina just came to visit us because she had no electricity,” Kapcha said.

As Helene rolled through town on Friday, nearly 70% of Gaston County lost power. But the lights stayed on at Floyd & Blackies.