Waxahachie Residents Say Worst Flooding In Years
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WAXAHACHIE, TX (CBSDFW.COM) -- It was a sleepless night for business owners and police in old Downtown Waxahachie. College Street flooded during the storm, stranding two motorists and forcing police to close a block of the road at the peak of the rainfall. Several businesses, a restaurant and the police department took in water. Long-time residents say it was the worst flooding in at least a decade.
A creek intersects college street below the surface, and while the rain did swell, police say it did not overflow the bank. Rather, a backup in the drainage system is being blamed.
The water level rose approximately two feet above the road, and was powerful enough to force open the door of the College Street Restaurant and Pub. Owner Tammy Strickland was alerted to the flooding when the door opened -- it tripped her security alarm and she could see what was happening on surveillance video. "When I walked in we had a whole river coming through the entire restaurant," said Tammy's daughter, Nici Strickland. The Strickland family spent all night at the restaurant, cleaning and working with a flood restoration company to dry it out in time for the lunch patrons on Monday.
Next door, Stuart Hamilton's land surveying business took on water. "Water amazes me all the time. That something so soft can be a monster," Hamilton said. Hamilton says he was watching CBS 11 News from home, when he saw his office on television. He hurried down to College Street to find six inches of water inside the basement. "The drain in front of our office is always filled with tree leaves," said Hamilton, adding that he hopes the city will address the debris accumulation. He expects some of his work documents at Ellis Associates Surveyors to be lost to the flooding. "It's something you just live through, and count your blessings," said Hamilton.
The Waxahachie Police Department is also located in the same block. Officers shut down a portion of the street at the peak of the storm. Fire fighters rescued two motorists whose vehicles stalled out. Police say no one was injured.
At the same time police were responding to calls, the flood moved into the police building. Police surveillance video captured the water flowing in, over a period of 45 minutes. Chief Wade Goolsby says the department was prepared to relocate the 911 call center if necessary, but it never reached that point. The water only extended through the administrative offices.
Structural building damage will be assessed once the carpet is dry and cleanup is complete, Chief Goolsby said. "We won't know until we get it dried out and see what kind of damage. I think obviously there's some damage to the lower sheet rock we'll have to see if that needs to be replaced or dried out," said the Chief.
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