SAN BENITO — After weeks of rain, residents have been trudging through flooded streets across low-lying parts of town, with floodwaters rising to some doorsteps while rushing into some homes.
On Thursday, Mayor Rick Guerra said he wants city commissioners to discuss drainage upgrades.
“We still have issues with drainage,” he said after driving through parts of town. “That’s something we need to look at.”
Also after driving through town, Commissioner Rene Garcia said officials could tap part of the city’s share of $9 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to fund drainage upgrades.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to assess what’s going on in our city as far as drainage,” he said. “We need to take advantage of the windfall and try to improve the quality of life.”
On Wednesday, floodwaters rose over three feet in some areas, rushing into a home in the 600 or 700 block of Bowie Street, Guerra said.
“There was a lot of flooding,” he said. “In certain areas, it got close to coming in (homes.)”
Floodwaters were rising near doorsteps in areas such as the Liberty Estates subdivision, he said.
“It was three to three-and-a-half feet in certain areas,” he said. “It got close to coming in.”
Across town, the city’s drainage system has led floodwaters to recede faster than in other areas.
“We have some areas we need to improve,” Garcia said. “It’s a matter of identifying areas.”
Like Garcia, Guerra was assessing the city’s drainage system.
“In certain areas, it did good,” he said. “In certain areas it was slow. We’re doing our best to clean storm drains and canals.”
At City Hall, spokesman David Favila stated rains dumped six inches of water in 72 hours.
“During this recent rain event, the city received reports of water rising and going into a few homes,” he stated.
