Friday, July 12 2013

Nature: Low Lying Areas - Oak Orchard 2 p.m. Survey

Address: Oak Orchard

On Friday, July 12th, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company monitored the rain water run-off conditions and illustrated herewith are photographs and updates throughout the fire district as of 2 p.m..

UPDATE: Flood Advisory For Sussex and Kent Counties Through 5:15 PM

UPDATE: The National Weather Service has expanded the Flood Advisory.

Heavy rainfall has resulted in a short period of time, resulting in flooding of roads in poor drainage areas. If you come across a flooded road, don't try to drive through the floodwaters. Remember - Turn Around, Don't Drown!

Specific areas of concern associated with high water levels included:

SUSSEX COUNTY:
  
Flooding:

RT 24 EB west of Longneck Rd – Water on Roadway

Long Neck Road near White House Beach - Water on Roadway

Indian Mission Rd @ Beaver Dam Rd – Water on Roadway

Hollymount Rd @ Karma Ln – Flooded

Hollyville Rd @ RT 24 – Water on Roadway

Indian Mission Road north of John J. Williams Hwy. - Flooded

John J. Williams Highway east of Long Neck Road

Oak Orchard Road - Flooded

River Road - Oak Orchard - Flooded

Delaware Avenue - Oak Orchard - Flooded

Mercer Avenue - Oak Orchard - Flooded

Additional information may be obtained by viewing the following links:

•  The News Journal – www.delawareonline.com

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130712/NEWS/307120065/Heavy-rain-expected-today-flash-flood-watches-warning-in-effect

Roads flood after 7 inches of rain; motorists rescued

Storms brought more than 7 inches of rain and caused road flooding and delays in eastern Sussex County and Kent County this afternoon, DelDOT reported. Numerous motorists were rescued from flooded vehicles.

A flood advisory remained in effect late tonight for central Kent County, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service said 7.05 inches of rain fell at Frankford today, and 6.77 inches on the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach.

Water was a foot deep on roadways in the Long Neck area in Sussex and in the Dover area in Kent County, where numerous roads were flooded, according to National Weather Service reports.

The service said there were water rescues in progress at 2:55 p.m. in Millville and Ocean View in Sussex, and portions of the roadway had collapsed on Lighthouse and Sand Cove roads in the Williamsville area of Sussex. 

• WBOC TV Channel 16 News – www.wboc.com

http://www.wboc.com/category/174346/main-wboc-video-player?clipId=9096868&autostart=true

Oak Orchard Residents Still Cleaning up From Friday's Flooding

In a small neighborhood near Millsboro, people are still cleaning up from Friday's flooding. WBOC's Evan Koslof reports in Oak Orchard, where neighbors say the large puddles that remain are part of a recurring problem.  

Residents Continue Cleanup Efforts After Flooding in Oak Orchard

OAK ORCHARD, Del. - In the small neighborhood of Oak Orchard by Millsboro, flooding has become a regular occurrence. Soggy grass, drenched bushes, and gigantic puddles are the norm whenever there is hard rain.

Matt Rydzynski, the owner of Serendipity, a restaurant in the area, said that the flooding creates problems in their neighborhood.

"It's always a cleanup," he said. "The mud, dirt, things floating, debris - all kinds of fun stuff."

The problem for people who live in the area is that they border the town marsh. This marsh collects all of the rainwater for the Millsboro area, and so every time there are severe rain levels, the water pours into their streets, forcing people to stay inside.

"We lose business," said Rydzynski. "Our servers don't make any money. And it hurts. It hurts everybody."

Richard Dondarski is a chef at the restaurant. He and his daughter ran through the water in the street adjacent to their restaurant on Monday. He said that the flooding was a scary situation when the rain first starting falling on Friday night.

"It was probably waste high on us," he said. "It was tough to get out. We had to go out through the trailer park."

Neighbors in the area said that they were frustrated by the constant flooding because they believe that there is not enough being done to prevent it. People who live on River Road said that they have called DelDot and DNREC, but still nothing has been done.

Joseph T'Alessandro said that the flooding created major problems not just for the neighbors, but for driving passerby's as well.

"You gotta be careful," he said. "You don't want to hydroplane - you go too fast on the highway and you hit a puddle - you lose control of your car and everything."