Mount Holly families kayak to homes due to flooding

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Families in Mount Holly have spent days kayaking to their homes to receive what they could after Tropical Storm Helene caused the area to flood.

They told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon the one thing they quite explain is the smell.

That smell could be attributed to water-soaked carpets, food that has rotten due to homes without electricity for days, and overturned dumpsters.

Residents believe the flooding was due to nearby DuHarts Creek overflowing.

Latasha Stahlecker told Channel 9 that she had to wade through her living room and kitchen. She said you can barely tell that her floors once looked like hardwood.

“The floors were just creek, and I was slipping and sliding on all the mud. And then you can see the water that got soaked into the walls. I couldn’t even open up the closet because it was warped so badly,” said Stahlecker.

Some residents said they have been able to clean up enough to move back in. Others, like Stahlecker, said they are leaving the area.

>>> At 5, Channel 9 delves into how the remnants of Tropical Storm Helene continue to affect the area.

VIDEO: Residents salvage what is left after flooding in Charlotte along river

Residents salvage what is left after flooding in Charlotte along river

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