NORTH PORT, Fla. — Heavy rain in North Port Monday morning turned parts of U.S. 41 into what looked like a lake, making it difficult for people to get to work and businesses to operate normally.
Within just a few hours, the city of North Port saw 3 1/2 inches of rain, leaving several roads underwater and creating challenges for customers trying to reach stores and restaurants.
Chris Hoffer, owner of Two Maids Cleaning Service, said the flooding prevented his employees from accessing their workplace through normal routes.
Click here to see North Port Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with local business owner about the flooding.
"We couldn't get into the office, so we have a sneak route that we go behind some stores and then are able to cross the road, to get to my backdoor," Hoffer said.
Tricia Wisner, the deputy director of Public Works, explained that the ground is struggling to absorb rainfall after an extended dry period.
"Previously, one inch of rain would equal one foot of rise in the creek. Just looking at numbers today, again, we had three and a half inches of rain. We saw one inch of rain equaled four inches of rise. That's a significant decrease," Wisner said.
The city has recently completed a $4 million project to remove debris from the Myakkahatchee Creek is already showing improvements in water flow.
City crews are working to clear drainage systems, but officials note that it takes time for water to move through the network of swales and creeks.
"The system is working as functions. However, it does slow down when there's that much rain. It takes a while to get the water out of the system. That doesn't mean that the system isn't working. It just takes a little bit of time," Wisner said.
The city of North Port asks people who notice anything blocking drainage to contact them.
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