SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Valley residents living near areas that flood year after year are once again bracing for streets to become impassable.
First responders warn that just 6 inches of water running through a wash and onto a nearby roadway can make that road like a small river and trap a car.
“It doesn’t take much for a vehicle to lose control,” Captain Jimmy Vaughan with the Scottsdale Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team said.
Captain Vaughan says every year the Technical Rescue Team conducts a handful of swift water rescues, usually due to flooding during monsoon season.
They have several strategies to perform rescues, from throwing a rope, to lowering a first responder onto a vehicle, to deploying crews in boats. Yet Captain Vaughan says the best safety strategy for drivers is to turn around and avoid driving through any pooling water.
“Less than a knee-deep of water can wash you away very quickly,” Captain Vaughan said. “This is one of the most dangerous situations that we run into in the fire service. These are very deadly situations, and that's why we say never put yourself in a position where we have to come out and effect a rescue on you.”
His advice for drivers is simple.
“We should never be crossing roadways when there's any sign of water running across them. Stop your vehicle, turn around, look for another route to your destination,” he said.
Under Arizona law, drivers who go around barricades and into flooded roadways could have to pay for the cost of their rescue.
Phoenix Fire is also preparing people living near flood plains. The department is handing out free sandbags at several locations on Thursday.
“We have at least two dozen areas we know within the vast large acreage of the city of Phoenix,” Captain Rob McDade, Phoenix Fire PIO, said. “Also with the growth in Phoenix, we're finding new areas that are collecting that water."
To see if your neighborhood is prone to flooding, you can check the Flood Control District of Maricopa County website. Floodplain maps, road closures, and resources are posted online.
The City of Scottsdale is handing out sandbags while supplies last. The City has also issued this warning about areas prone to flooding.
Heavy rainfall can quickly fill the Indian Bend Wash, resulting in temporary closures of several unbridged crossings, including Roosevelt Street, Osborn Road, Murray Lane, Oak Street at 77th Street, Medlock Drive, Starlight Way, Jackrabbit Road, Pecos Lane and the Safeway Plaza entrance north of Chaparral Road along Hayden Road.
Other areas that frequently experience flooding include:
- 87th Street south of Thomas Road
- 84th Place north of Roosevelt Street
- Granite Reef Road south of Roosevelt Street
- Gail Road at 83rd Place
- Scottsdale Road north of Loop 101
- Pima Road north of Pinnacle Peak Road
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