‘Never seen anything like that’: Cleanup continues in Lincolnton following torrential Wednesday night rain

LINCOLNTON, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – The city was drying out Thursday. At a low point next to First Federal Park at the intersection of East Pine and North Poplar streets, mud could be seen around stormwater drains.

Anthony Guerrero captured quite a bit of video when he was out getting dinner in downtown Lincolnton Wednesday night. He found drivers who had to abandon their cars when the water rose so quickly.

“I swear it all happened within a matter of 30 minutes, maybe less,” Guerrero said.  “Even with the wipers on full blast, you can’t tell if you’re on the road, really. So, it’s really easy to get in those situations whenever it’s coming down like that.”

This is something he said he hasn’t seen in 10 years.

“The park was probably the deepest that I had seen and I’m pretty sure it’s a lot worse in places that I didn’t even get to see,” Guerrero said.

Daniel Cullen watched the storm from his home.

“You can’t see them coming they just happen upon you,” Cullen said. “These are some of the most violent storms that I’ve ever seen and you never know when they’re coming.”

The rain really hit Speedy Tire Wholesale, flooding the entire lower floor of the building and ankle-deep water in the upstairs lobby. The business had to close Thursday.

“It looked like a scene from the Titanic when you looked down the stairs. Yeah, it was crazy. Never seen anything like that,” Speedy Tire Wholesale Manager Shawn Munoz said. “The whole shop was, we saw it, was just flooded.”

As they dry out, Munoz said they can learn for the future.

“I was in shock. I was like, this is crazy stuff you only see in movies or, you know, on TV, but you never thought that you would experience it. So when we saw it I was like this is crazy,” Munoz said. “Now we’re prepared for the next thing that may come, and we know how to handle it, how to tackle it.”

Munoz said they plan to reopen on Friday.