Flooding in Timberline Sunday afternoon (Photo Courtesy: Stephanie McCarthy, resident)
FLAGSTAFF (NAZ Today)– Daily heavy rain and flooding are now threatening underground utilities in some neighborhoods north of Flagstaff.
The Doney Park/Timberline Estates neighborhoods north of Flagstaff received more rain Sunday, with 0.85 inches falling on the area. Runoff from Sunday’s storms flooded Wupatki Trails, Campbell Road, Brandis Way, and Kevin’s Way. Low-lying areas of Doney Park and Sunset Crater Estates also experienced some flooding.
Utility lines along Campbell Road and Kevin’s Way have been exposed as floodwaters have eroded away the dirt around them. Coconino County officials warn that more rain could compromise the lines, causing interruptions in utility services to residents in the surrounding neighborhoods. Officials ask that residents stay away from the exposed utility lines, which include underground electric and gas lines. Coconino County recommends that all reports of compromised utility lines go through the Sheriff’s Office at (928) 774-4523. As always, in an emergency situation, dial 9-1-1.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect until midnight Tuesday morning for all of Northern Arizona except for Mohave County. There is a 90 percent chance of heavy rain for the greater Flagstaff area today, and an 80 percent chance of heavy rain tonight before midnight, according to the National Weather Service.
The Red Cross is on standby to re-open an evacuation center at Flagstaff Middle School, 755 North Bonito Street. Residents who may need shelter can call the Red Cross at 1-800-842-7349.
My sister lives off of Kevin’s Way. We were there this last weekend helping her to secure her home and clean up the mess from the flooding. The condition of the entire neighborhood is devastating. The roads are collapsing, and the utilities are becoming exposed. When we arrived Saturday morning I looked at the power line along I89 and Kevin’s Way. I told my husband that the power line wouldn’t be able to withstand the erosion much longer. When we left Sunday evening APS was on site trying to secure the power poles (a little more than 24 hours later). The water path keeps changing, creating a never ending alert for the residents. My sister had two rivers running through her lot. One was stopped by a burm that was created ‘upstream’. On Sunday the water crowned the burm, over powered it, and started the second river up again. Lives are at stake, not just property. When we were leaving Sunday the Game and Fish Dept. told us that Kevin’s Way was being closed and if we left we couldn’t get back in. They were actually making people park on the opposite side of I89, cross the freeway on foot, and walk down a road that was turning into a sink hole that could flash flood at a moment’s notice. Just because it’s not raining on the road doesn’t mean it’s not raining on the mountain. That’s where the water is coming from! Unless a major drainage system is established I fear that the entire neighborhood will be quickly lost.