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WASHINGTON TERRACE, Weber County — About 1 inch of rain in a 45-minute span caused one home to be evacuated and around eight to 10 others to experience minimal to moderate water damage Tuesday, a city official said.
City manager Tom Hanson said the downpour didn’t back up the infrastructure of the drainage system, but it was inundated to the point that officials couldn’t keep up with the amount of water.
“It came in hard, it came in strong and just opened up on us,” Hanson said.
An elderly couple was taken to the community center after their home was evacuated, and the center remained open in case more families were displaced, Hanson said.
Red Cross accommodated the couple, and the city recreation director was with them before their family arrived to pick them up.
Mayor Mark Allen told Hanson that he doesn’t recall a weather event that compares to the storm and subsequent flooding occurring in Washington Terrace.
Numerous upgrades have been made to the city’s drainage system over the past 10 years, Hanson said, but officials needed the help of the community to aid residents.
Neighbors of the people experiencing flooding pumped water from inside houses and in front of doors, he said.
“When it comes right down to it, it’s the neighbors helping neighbors that’s going to make the difference,” Hanson said. “As we noticed today, we can’t be everywhere at the same time. You have to rely on each other and you have to support each other in these events to make it all work out."
Hanson said the city is focusing on cleaning the streets — removing debris from flower beds and rock gardens, cleaning gutters, catch basins and grates on detention ponds — so the water can drain.
Contributing: Paul Nelson
