Memphis residents frustrated with continued flooding
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Residents and drivers across Memphis are still dealing with the impacts of several inches of rain that pushed through the area.
Residents in East Memphis said the drains and ditches need to be cleared by the city. They went on to say they are tired of their yards and homes flooding.
Monday, the sound of running water down the drains was a sound of relief after days of water filling Ruth Johnson’s yard.
“I went back to the back of the bedroom part of the house to put on my pajamas,” she said. “I looked out the window and I couldn’t believe it.”
Johnson said she has lived at her home for over 30 years with no flooding issues, but recently, that changed.
“It was huge the last few days. I mean, in the larger scheme of things, my whole house didn’t flood and it’s all repairable, it could have been worse,” she said.
She said for the past two weeks; her yard has flooded three times.
She says Saturday, the water was so high in her front yard that it started flowing into her home and around her car.
“At my side door, it came all the way into my kitchen, almost to my den,” she said.
According to city officials, crews inspect and clear 50,000 storm drains to prevent flooding, but residents are also encouraged to clean them out.
The city shared a statement saying in part, “Some streets may temporarily accumulate standing water during heavy rainfall in low-lying areas, but it usually clears up after the rain stops. If water doesn’t drain quickly, please contact 311.”
Johnson said she did that.
“I know it was the holiday and people deserve their time off, but the weather doesn’t care if it’s the holidays or if it’s Monday through Friday, 9-5. And I got zero response. Emergency management, 311 twice, council people, I called everybody I knew,” she said.
The city recently entered into a pilot program where artificial intelligence cameras are mounted on top of work trucks to scan road and sidewalk conditions to help find drainage issues and potholes.
This pilot program consists of cameras on four different trucks, according to city officials.
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