Heavy Rain Floods Modesto Streets
MODESTO (CBS13) — Heavy rain throughout the region created a big mess for many motorists as several streets were submerged by water.
Roadways near Mellis Park in Modesto are now clear after city crews spent hours clearing debris from storm drains.
Reverend James Andersen of the Christian Love Baptist Church was attending a meeting at the community center at Mellis Park when it started to storm.
"We knew it was raining, but we didn't know it was this bad," he said.
The heavy rain caused flooding in several parts of Modesto. Streets like Robertson Road near Vernon Avenue became difficult for motorists. Andersen was even stranded for a short period of time.
At one point, a long stretch of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in Modesto was covered up with eight inches of water. The storm kept city crews busy as trucks vacuumed water in several trouble spots.
"We work all year long trying to prepare, making sure the system is up to speed, that we are prepared for any type of storm event like this. But when it really starts coming down hard, there's really not a lot we can do at that moment," said Robert Englent, wastewater collection systems manager for the City of Modesto.
The Mellis Park area is where the city's storm system ends. Officials say it usually backs up the worst during very intense storms. Just ask resident David Grace who lives along King Drive.
"From this corner all the way to vine, this is, every big flood that is what it is, maybe it's just the drains over here that just don't drain right, but it just all coagulates right here in this area," he said.
There are two schools in this neighborhood and crews did manage to clear the roads just as students were getting out of class.
