No Matter the Weather

Team Charlotte comes together during severe weather

It may be winter in Charlotte, but over the past weeks, we’ve seen storms with tornado activity, snowfall and flooding. Whatever mother nature throws at the city, our team responds quickly and efficiently.

“Thank you Team Charlotte for your response to the recent severe weather. All our departments came together when our community needed us most. From clearing downed trees from roads, providing barricades for flooding or responding to emergency calls, we worked as a team to keep the public safe. I appreciate your dedication to the city and thank you for your hard work!” — City Manager Marcus D. Jones

Over the weather event, many departments had a role to fill. Here’s some responses by the numbers:

• There were 200 tree service requests with each request including multiple trees down.
• More than 21 work crews made up of more than 100 city staff and contractors working Thursday through Saturday to clear roadways and repair damage. This included General Services — Landscape Management, Solid Waste Services, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, Charlotte Department of Transportation, Charlotte Fire Department (CFD), Emergency Management and Housing & Neighborhood Services (311).
• Charlotte Water plant operators kept plants and lift stations functioning, working 18 + hour shifts to set up bypass pumps, monitor plant levels and keeping customers in service.
• Charlotte Communication & Marketing shared 12 social posts with weather updates, safety information and recovery resources, reaching more than 133,000 people in over 12 hours.

Teams accomplished this work quickly. Twenty-four hours after the storm, teams cleared more than 110 roads by Saturday they cleared more than 187 roads, with only two roads uncleared due to utility lines needing to be removed by Duke Energy.

Teams were also creative. Charlotte Water plant operators suspected a sanitary pipe break in a highly vegetated point and flooded stream at Stewart Creek. Staff used a drone to find the break, saving time by being able to assess the situation quickly. Staff also watched the drone footage live, so everyone could view from a safe vantage point. The spill was contained and repairs are underway.

Our crews even got shout-outs on social media:

With more rain falling this past week and rivers at high levels, there was a threat of flooding. Emergency Management, CFD and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services are keeping a watchful eye and working with our partners to respond to any flood threats.

There’s still some work to do as debris cleanup continues. It’s great to know that our team is ready to go no matter what weather comes through the Queen City. Keep up the great work!