Aug 19, 2008 7:39 am US/Eastern
Sweetwater Gets Sweet Surprise: No Floods
SWEETWATER (CBS4) ―
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Sweetwater has historically had severe floods such as this one, which have stalled everyday life and damaged property when storms hit the area.
CBS
Flooding is one of the biggest threats Tropical Storm Fay poses for Southeastern Florida, so Sweetwater is not taking any chances, considering its flood-prone past.
A combination of poor drainage and its low–lying location has made for severe flooding that has stalled cars and damaged the interiors of homes in the past. However, in recent years millions of dollars in drainage improvements have nearly removed many major threats of severe flooding.
But this didn't stop many residents from lining up and getting free sandbags provided by the city as a precaution to protect their homes against Fay.
Residents such as Maria Alfaro have vivid memories of the troubles suffered as a result of past flooding.
"Four days that we cannot eat, and the water was up to here, and we could not go out," said Alfaro.
But so far there has been no need for the bags, and the city's new and improved drainage system has prevented another major flooding incident.
"At seven in the morning we had five pump trucks sucking out those drains, making sure that all of the debris was out of them, and that those drains alone without the pumps can take out the water out of the streets, and it worked," said Mayor Manny Marono.
Aside from the improved drains, a system of permanent pumps and other systems have been put in place to help alleviate Sweetwater's flooding woes.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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