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WEST JORDAN -- A short-lived, but powerful thunderstorm sent a deluge of rain down on parts of the Salt Lake Valley Thursday afternoon.
Some residents in West Jordan say they can't believe how much water spilled into their yards and basements so quickly, and the worst part is the mess it left behind.
The flooding happened in a neighborhood near 7800 South and 6700 West. There was so much water that Amanda Johnson ended up with a waterfall in her backyard. It started after lots of rain came down, actually collapsing some of the rocks and flooding her backyard.
"It was just a really huge downpour rain. It just instantly started flooding and going into my neighbor's house," Johnson said.
That's right. Since the homes are on a slope, the water just went downhill right into Johnson's neighbor's window wells. You can guess what happened next.
"I was just trying to protect the little, tiny leak from the window, and then the window just broke on me," neighbor Milena Kovacevic said.
When all that water came in from the window, it left Kovacevic with some minor cuts and a muddy mess in her basement.
"It probably took, like, 15 minutes to fill up with water, you know?" Kovacevic said.
There was lots of flooding in the neighborhood, and residents now want to know if someone is at fault.
Last year, they had the same flooding problems. Hamlet Homes developed the area, but residents say they blamed it on the Utah Department of Transportation and how U-111, which runs right behind the homes, is sloped downhill.
However, UDOT says there were drainage issues here before the land was developed and that the developer knew that. And since the developer built the sound walls and the rock walls, it's not UDOT's responsibility.
"I hope somebody will help me out, because I can't afford to do it. We just have simple jobs and are regular people," Johnson said.
KSL News called Hamlet Homes and left a message, but it was after-hours when we called so we did not get a response. Homeowners say they just want answers.
Video of east bench flooding courtesy Lucky Tuck.
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Story compiled with contributions from Alex Cabrero and mgiauque@ksl.com.
