Clogged Storm Drains Cause Flooding In Spokane Streets
It's an icy, slushy disaster around the streets of Spokane. So much, it's caused a bit of a standstill of water on the streets with nowhere for it to go.
The city of Spokane tweeted out on Thursday to clear your storm drains. Why? Because it could end up clogged and become a large body of water which could create some serious flooding problems.
"We've got nowhere for the water to go. We are running out of places fast," said Christopher Knowles, a North Spokane resident.
The melted snow is even creating a river of water down some neighborhood roads. "We are getting a nice ice jam here and it just holds and holds," said Knowles. Knowles lives off of Jefferson and says he knows he has to clear the drains so the homes and drivers out on the streets can stay safe.
From the time we saw him in the early afternoon, he had already been working outside with a shovel, crunching the ice and clearing the way for three hours. "I would say, know where your drain is nearby, definitely clear it," said Knowles.
The city has eight crews out, working and monitoring trouble spots that are flooded like the bottom of hills and intersections. We found crews working on First Avenue and Madison, where they cleared the drains and vacuumed up the excess water.
This is really a team effort between neighbors and the city of Spokane. If there's a serious problem spot that you see in your area that you are concerned about you can call the number 755-CITY.
Ultimately, there are about 12,000 storm drains in the City so crews won’t get to each one. If you don’t know where the closest storm drain is to your house or business, you can use MapSpokane on the City’s web site to find out.