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Flash flooding strands Hamilton motorists

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Greg Lynch/Cars drive through water spilling from the Hamilton Power Plant, Friday, June 26, 2009. The cause of the spill is unknown.

By Staff Report Updated 1:59 PM Friday, June 26, 2009

HAMILTON — JoAnn Withrow, a lifelong Hamilton resident, said she has never seen flash flooding like the water the covered North West Washington Boulevard Thursday night, June 25.

Withrow was driving along Washington Boulevard about 11:30 p.m. when the heavy rain caused flash flooding in Highland Park and water washed over the road. Several people were stranded with people climbing onto their vehicles.

“It was the worse thing I have ever seen and I have lived here all my life,” said the 53-year-old. “There was so much water. It was unbelievable. It came all the way to my windshield.”

Bill and Donna Herrman at Lexington Apartments on 1200 block NW Washington Blvd. stood outside this morning, June 26, watching a worker pump gallons of water out of their flooded basement.

Bill Herrman said he woke and got a call around 1 a.m. from his son who lives on the East side who told him he was outside watching the street flood. Herrman stepped out of bed and found he was standing in water. And when he went into the kitchen, pop cans were floating all around.

“It (water) was level all the way across the street,” Herrman said of the scene outside of his home. “It was like watching a river.”

Cars pulling out from Thomas Boulevard onto Washington Boulevard were getting their engines flooded and had to be towed. Herrman said all the storm drains appeared to be plugged along the street.

Motorists for the most part were observing four way stops at intersections, as traffic signals remained inoperative. Traffic was traveling slow on Eaton Avenue particularly west of the Washington intersection.

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I was one of those stranded,one has to wonder why that when the city re-did the streets in this area the drains would have been improved especially in light of all the new construction in the area.At one point the water was over 2ft. deep as we escaped from our vehicles.Thanks to all that helped it was well appreciated.

Tom
5:35 PM, 6/27/2009

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