|
home / Hidden Valley
Summer storms create flash flood
Alice Shoaf
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
On Friday August 27, most of Hidden Valley enjoyed light or sporadic rainfall. In a few places, however, the water damage was tremendous. Most damage occurred not from the rain, but from flood waters raging down from higher elevations.
Danny and Linda Cullum found out firsthand what Vekol Wash is capable of delivering. They and their son Jason live at the west end of Ivory Road, and were all at work when flood waters raged down the wash behind their home. Two Good Samaritan neighbors were on hand to help them out.
Neighbor Ken Robinson lives just a couple of miles away, also near the wash. “I could hear the water roaring from my house,” he said later. He and DJ Humphreys grabbed a camera and headed out to check out the water. When they saw the Cullum’s property, though, all thoughts of fun and games were gone. They called Jason at his work and told him he needed to get home.
Two gorges span the Cullum property on either side of the house. They are five to eight feet wide, about six feet deep, and serve to divert water safely away when flash floods rage. They were not sufficient to handle Friday’s flooding, however. Water poured over the banks of both gorges as well as Vekol Wash, which runs at the back of the property, and met smack in the middle of the Cullum’s yard.
Jason described the scene. “In places I was knee deep,” he said, “but the water was splashing up to my chest.”
Water poured through their workshop, knocking down a motorcycle and engulfing tool boxes. Stacked wood, railroad ties, and broken cacti were pushed all through the yard. One long four-by-four was shoved fortuitously up against the side porch, where it actually diverted water from entering the home. Although both porches were completely submerged, only one room suffered water damage inside. A line of mud and silt is visible about eight inches high on the side of the house. “We were really lucky,” said Linda Cullum. “There’s a lot of property damage, but the house is fine.”
Luckily, residential damage such as this was limited. Most homeowners experienced nothing worse than interrupted power and telephone service on Friday, and again on Saturday as single-cell storms raced northward. Small but furious downpours delivered heavy lightning, rain, and hail. Damaged trees and power poles were seen in several areas. Motorists negotiated flooded roads, which quickly subsided, leaving deposits of mud and debris. Local kids delighted in rainbows and mud puddles, as all kids will – both big and small.
By Sunday most power was restored, although telephone service was still out in some areas. The freak storms played havoc with satellite systems, and service trucks will likely be busy for days. It could have been worse, though, as folks like the Cullums will tell you. It could have been much worse.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Courtesy of Ken Robinson / CopaNews.com
Flood waters rage across the Cullum property and engulf the front porch.
|