CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte charter school was evacuated due to flooding on Thursday morning. According to authorities, 143 people were rescued from Corvian Community Elementary School on David Taylor Drive in the university area.
At the point of the rescue, the parking lot was severely flooded, dozens of cars almost completely underwater.
“I didn't know that this could happen and that it could happen so fast," fourth-grader Joshua Zdeb said. "It was like 30 minutes,”
Unfortunately, his first day back at school since March ended just as quickly as it started. Joshua and his classmates and teachers were evacuated around 10:30 a.m.
“We dropped them off at 8:30, and there were no signs of real flooding at the school,” his mother Sarah Zdeb said.
One car's windshield wipers could be seen still going back-and-forth despite the floodwaters surrounding it, a sign of just how quickly the situation escalated. Several teachers' cars are damaged, and a GoFundMe page has been set up.
The water inside of the school was ankle deep, according to the fire department, but luckily, the school had an evacuation plan that worked perfectly. The first-responders did not have to use boats to get the students out, and every student walked themselves through nearby woods to safely get to buses that brought them to a nearby high school to be reunited with their families.
Stacey Haskell, the Executive Director of the school, released this statement:
“We have experienced something we never thought possible today at the elementary school. What started out as the greenway collecting water turned into a major flash flood in the blink of an eye. The Admin team immediately notified The City of Charlotte Emergency Services of the rising waters. When I arrived at the elementary school, the parking lot was flooded and all vehicles in the parking lot were submerged. I worked directly with the Charlotte Fire Department to ensure every student and staff member were evacuated safely.
I am proud to say that 143 staff and students are safe and sound today due to the quick response of our leadership team and the amazing efforts of our first responders. It brought joy to my heart to see all of our amazing students take the situation seriously and readily pull together to follow the directions of the rescue team.
I want to thank the City of Charlotte (CMPD, CFD, Duke Energy & Charlotte Storm Services) for their prompt response and leadership in guiding our staff and students to safety. CATs bus service saved the day by providing bus transportation for our staff and students to arrive safely at the high school. Once elementary school students were accounted for we began carpool for families to pick up their precious little ones.
Thank you to all of our amazing staff and parents for your trust and support as we navigated through this flash flooding emergency.”
Friday will be a virtual learning day. Parents said they were told to be patient, as repairs inside will be necessary.
“Things can be replaced, Sarah Zdeb said. "People can't, and that’s one of the big things to keep in mind through all of this. The staff and teachers did a great job getting everyone out safely."
There were three other evacuations in the city on Thursday. Eight people were evacuated from Spruce Street and West Boulevard, two on John Price Road and 13 people on McDaniel Drive.
No injuries have been reported at any of them.