Raging waters strand Mesa drivers

MESA, AZ - Some of the most powerful Monsoon storms this season wreaked havoc on Mesa roads Friday.

Heavy rains sent a river of water washing across University Drive, stopping four drivers right in their tracks.

"The water was up past my door," Sandy Onufrock said.

Sandy and her daughter Lizzie had just left their home when they got caught in the wash on University with three other vehicles. The water was too deep for vehicles to make it through without dying.

"It just stopped. The car died. It was that fast," Sandy said. "Our car was floating. The water picked us up and we were floating."

The dark clouds opened up on Valley roads, flooding some of them like bathtubs.

"I was scared,” Sandy said. “Lizzie kept herself together."

The mother and daughter were able to float their car out of the wash, but still had to have it towed away.

Mesa and Rural Metro firefighters came to the rescue of the other stranded drivers. Firemen pulled everyone out of the three other vehicles. One fireman even waded back to the sunken vehicles to grab Debbie Wiseback's wallet.

"I couldn't see in front of me. I was following those tail lights," Debbie told ABC15 of how she got stuck.

The cars in front of her suddenly stopped dead, and then her car died right in the middle of the deep moving water.

Neighbors who've lived in the area near Power Road and University for decades said they were scared by the rain storm's strength.

"This is the worst I've ever seen,” Wendy Kruse said. “We've had some bad nights, but this is the worst."

ABC15 checked homes in the surrounding neighborhoods, but did not find any flood damaged homes, although a few attached porches were soaked on the inside.