Flooded Arizona city may take weeks to recover

By Brian Skoloff (AP) | Last updated: Sep 17, 2014 - 9:32:27 AM

Cars are stuck in flood waters on I-10 east at 43rd Ave. after heavy storms pounded the Phoenix area early Sept. 8, flooding major freeways, prompting several water rescues and setting an all-time single-day record for rainfall in the desert city.

MESA, Ariz. - A Mesa neighborhood remained submerged in floodwaters after a record-setting storm walloped the region and forced some residents to fortify homes with sandbags and wade through knee-high water to get in and out of the swamped area.

Cactuses were half-submerged, and only the tops of fire hydrants were visible in the standing water that covered streets and sidewalks in the neighborhood.

A father pulled his daughter and dog in a baby pool. Owners of pickup trucks capable of navigating the water ferried residents to and from grocery stores. Residents cheered when a fire truck arrived to help pump out the water.

“We’ve never seen this,” said resident Greg Montierth. “Arizona deals with sand and cactus and heat. We’re not set up for it.”

Mesa recorded 4.41 inches of rain on September 8—a single-day record—as the remnants of Hurricane Norbert rolled through Arizona and caused flash flooding across the state. Two people died before the storm moved into Nevada and Utah and caused considerable damage.

Mesa spokesman Steven Wright said it might take up to two weeks for the city to recover.

Up to 400 homes still were without electricity after crews disconnected power to submerged transformers after the rains.

Water washes over the car after the driver was rescued by members of Northwest Fire District north of Tucson, Ariz., on Sept. 8. The Phoenix and Tucson metro areas were hit by heavy rains, causing flooding and damage. More than 3 inches of rain closed parts of several Phoenix freeways. In Tucson, the National Weather Service recorded nearly 2 inches of rain.

Mr. Wright said power was starting to come back on to some homes September 9 as water was being pumped out of the affected areas. Retention basins and channels along the U.S. 60 were at or over capacity after the record rainfall.

“We’ve seen significant improvement,” Mr. Wright said. “We brought in huge industrial pumps and a ton of resources and we’re seeing the water recede now.”

Mr. Wright said 100 to 125 homes still were affected by the floodwaters, but most homeowners were staying put and not going to shelters set up for voluntary evacuees.

Adding to the misery in the neighborhood near U.S. 60 is the fact that residents don’t have flood insurance because it is not in a flood zone.

“It’s not something you’re offered. When you buy a house, you sign your paperwork for the mortgage and when they say insurance, they look at flood insurance, you’re not in a flood zone, you don’t buy flood insurance,” said Mr. Montierth. “Why spend money on something that’s never supposed to happen?”

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