ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — Alexander County officials have released the names of the five victims killed in last week's devastating flooding.
Along with the five killed, more than 30 people were rescued from the rising floodwaters Thursday, which left some houses and cars completely underwater.
Officials said the victims were located at various locations on the campground property, approximately a quarter-mile from the campsites.
On Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, the victims recovered were identified as:
- Crystal Dawn LeVan Reed, age 49 of Hiddenite, NC
- Tyrell Jordan “Ty” Reed, age 18 of Hiddenite, NC
- Tina Ann Allen, age 52 of Hiddenite, NC
On Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, the victims recovered were identified as:
- Ronald James Wintemute, age 76 of Hiddenite, NC
- Mason Lee Flowers, age 1 of Hiddenite, NC
Beth Korte, one of the managers of the campground, said one of the campers called her around 5:30 a.m. Thursday and told her the water was rising.
Korte said she called 911 and started calling all the people living in the campground, but she said the water was probably already up to four or five feet.
"It was a nightmare,” Korte said. “It was, I mean campers were literally being washed away and people were standing on campers and trucks and screaming and screaming my name. There was nothing you could do."
Korte and her family were able to get out safely, watching and waiting as first responders rescued 32 others.
"They rescued people from campers that had rolled through the campground with the camper in them, had to take the roofs off and get in,” Korte said. “There was somebody holding onto a propane tank, and they got to them."
Rescue crews continued searching for people who were missing on Friday, including the one-year-old boy who was separated from his family in the flooding.
"They got out and got on the roof, and then they stood there as long as they could,” Korte said of what she knew about the situation. “And then the camper started to roll, and they held on and it went across the campground. And they held on as long as they could, and then some debris hit them and knocked the baby out of his hands."
As of noon Monday, Korte said the families had not been able to go back into the campground to survey the damage and collect their belongings.
The Red Cross and several local churches came together to help the families with temporary housing at a Catawba County hotel. East Taylorsville Baptist Church is handling all donations, Korte said.
Through it all, Korte said the families staying at the hotel are comforting each other through the loss and tough time. She said she is grateful for the first responders who helped save so many lives.
Korte adding, "It could have been so much worse."
The National Weather Service surveyed the damage in Hiddenite Friday. While the weather data is still being finalized, other recorded rainfall totals from Alexander County showed at least 7 inches of rain fell in some areas.
Approximately 50 roadways across the county were compromised, with four bridge outages and 11 roads that are currently impassable, according to county officials.
The campground was overwhelmed when water from the South Yadkin River overtook the property.
Rivers and other waterways remained swollen Friday after the record-breaking rain event.
Further downstream in Mecklenburg County, residents living along the Catawba River were voluntarily asked to evacuate as Duke Energy worked to maintain the water levels along the Catawba River and Mountain Island Lake.
Water levels remained high across the Carolinas as the water table worked to handle the excessive rainfall, which eventually flows across the region and into the Atlantic Ocean.