CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV)- Emergency crews were kept busy overnight checking on tripped alarms thanks to heavy storms in the area.

When many people think of severe storms, they imagine the night sky being lit up like it was on fire, blinding rain or downed trees.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police see burglar alarms.

Another round of heavy weather came rolling through the area around 12:30am on Wednesday, bringing with it air-to-ground lightning strikes every few seconds, and rainfall coming down in buckets.

But with all of that, the headache didn't turn out to be massive damage, it was the power surges that came along with the storm system.

Officers said they responded to calls at several homes and businesses overnight.  Most checked out to be nothing.

When the fire department rolled up to a blaring alarm at the 7/11 convenience store off of Reames Road in north Charlotte however, they spotted smoke inside.

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV)- A man who shot and killed two Charlotte police officers in northeast Charlotte in 2007 has been denied an appeal to overturn his murder conviction.

In September 2010, Demeatrius Antonio Montgomery was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the slaying of Officers Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton at the Timber Ridge Apartments in east Charlotte in 2007.  He is currently serving two consecutive life sentences without parole.

His new attorney filed an appeal, 217 pages long, in September 2011 in an attempt to get the conviction overturned. Several of the 16 reasons for appeal deal with Montgomery's mental competency.

The court ruled that the appeal was without merit and that the trial court did not err in procedure.

However, Montgomery's appellate defender, Andrew DiSimone said he is reviewing the possibility of filing a petition with the NC Supreme Court.

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Over the past several years, Mecklenburg County has used federal dollars to buy out hundreds of flood prone properties. However, more than 1500 are still at risk of being damaged by rising waters.

One of those neighborhoods is Madison Park along Park Road, where dozens of homes along Mockingbird Lane and Wedgewood Drive sit in a flood plain. Neighbors tell WBTV when a nearby creek overflows, it can cover the roadway.

"A couple people in this neighborhood were instrumental in helping us make our new flood plan," said Dave Canaan, director for the County's Water and Land Resources.

He said even though 250 homes have been bought out, there are still many people at risk when it comes to flooding. A new plan just approved in May, will look at other cost effective options beyond buy-outs. One idea, Canaan said, is to elevate some structures. It would be a cheaper, long-term solution in some cases.