Maricopa County determines Anthem flooding beyond government's control

PHOENIX - An investigation by Maricopa County has ended into how a rainstorm severely flooded parts of the community of Anthem last month.

County spokeswoman Cari Gerchick tells The Arizona Republic that the county concluded the July 31 storm in Anthem was a one-in-1,000-year rain catastrophe and beyond the government's control.

The storm unleashed flash floods, ruined landscapes, muddied streets and damaged homes.

Gerchick says the county's Flood Control District concluded that the weather system was "an extreme storm" and delivered a "very heavy" rainfall for up to 90 minutes.

Five inches of rain fell on Anthem in that time period.

In many cases, homeowners didn't have flood insurance on their homes and were left wondering if more could have been done to prevent the damage.

"That's kind of convenient," Jeannette Feeley said from her new home south of Anthem. "I would like some kind of better explanation or contact from the County."

Jeannette's home was heavily damaged after a wall of water collapsed her fence. She was thrown by the water and said she is lucky to be alive. But she also said the drains and washes around her former home are designed so the water has nowhere to go except toward her house. She still hasn't ruled out legal action.