West Brady St. residents say action needed after flooding
Dannielle Bland was about to see her husband off to work on a rainy Saturday.
When she opened her front door, she heard rain that sounded like hail and saw water at the first step of her home's porch and rushing down the street.
“I turned to look and I said, 'ah, not cool,'” said Bland, who has lived on West Brady Street for nine years.
As West Brady Street residents came out of their homes after a Saturday filled with rain showers, they began to wash away the mud and clean up the debris on their flooded street.
The street was closed due to flooding Saturday at about 4:30 p.m. after a downpour.
Butler County received about 1.10 inches of rain Saturday, according to a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. That was enough to cause flooding that West Brady Street residents said needs addressed to prevent it from happening again.
The situation is “ridiculous,” Bland said. Drains are filled with rocks and there are no proper grates, she said. Two years ago, Bland had to clean out her basement because of the floodwaters, she said. She questioned why something could not be put up to prevent the flooding.
“There's nothing we can do,” Bland said. “We are the ones suffering at the end.”
A new resident to the neighborhood, Precious McCardle was worried about her basement flooding.“It's gross — nasty,” McCardle said about Saturday's post-rain mess.Once the nearby creek is cleaned, the flooding could stop, McCardle said. She suggested that a type of net could be used to catch the debris to prevent flooding.Every year around July 4, Cheryl Eldridge said she has to be wary of the rain. By the time her husband moved their car to the next street over after a neighbor's warning, the water was up to her porch steps, said Eldridge, who has lived on West Brady for 30 years.During Saturday's showers, it was unusual that her basement did not flood she said. Her basement saw 4 feet of water two years ago. After that, she had to replace her hot water tank, tools, a washer and a dryer, she said.The area between New Castle Road and West Brady Street was dredged previously, she said, adding that more work could be done.
Resident Dave Holmes said he has been hit hard by flooding over the years, and had 5 feet of water in his basement two years ago. The water mark on the cinder block pillar in his basement is a reminder of the time his family was without power for two weeks and had to replace their belongings, he said. Holmes has lived in his home for 14 years.During that time, church organizations and other groups aided in the neighborhood's cleanup and helped him get back on his feet. Although the family jokes that they will move, they sealed all the cracks in their basement with cement to make sure the water never returns, he said.“I feel they need to get someone in to look to prevent this,” he said. “Something needs to be done.”Cranberry Township reported about 7 tenths of an inch of rain Saturday, an NWS meteorologist said. Slippery Rock at Moraine State Park reported 1.14 inches of rain. The next couple days should be dry before rain possibly returning Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast to be in the upper 80s and 90s.
