Heavy rains trap 6 men, close roads, flood businesses
Fort Worth Star Telegram (June 29, 2004)

Arlington firefighter Brian Friend helps one of six stranded workers Monday. Rains trapped them on a rail car behind a warehouse on South Peyco Drive. Firefighters used a raft to reach the men. SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM/BRIAN LAWDERMILK

STREET FLOODING

Torrential rains turned streets into rivers Monday, surprising dozens of motorists, trapping six fence builders behind a south Arlington warehouse, and forcing the evacuation of more than 200 patrons at the Fort Worth Zoo.

Police and firefighters aided dozens of motorists whose vehicles were trapped in the sudden downpour, which dumped about 4 inches of rain in less than two hours throughout much of the southern Metroplex.

An Arlington Fire Department high-water rescue team retrieved six men from a railroad car after they climbed in to avoid rising water that resembled a white-water river.

The workers were trapped at the far end of a fenced-in lumber yard, behind a warehouse in the 1900 block of South Peyco Drive. Firefighters traveled about 100 yards in a rubber raft to reach the men.

"It was raining so fast that we just left our truck," said Miguel Rodriguez, 24, after firefighters pulled him and his co-workers to safety. "In about 20 minutes, it was about 5 or 6 feet deep."

The water that trapped the men came from a bend of Rush Creek just west of Cooper Street and south of Sublett Road. City officials closed several streets for about two hours as Rush Creek, Lynn Creek and Bowman Branch flooded roadways and threatened dozens of houses in south Arlington.

Tom Dean watched water from Lynn Creek quickly rise to his doorstep in the 500 block of Betsy Ross Drive.

"I watched a truck drive down the street and the water was rushing over his hood, it was so deep," Dean said. "The water was rising so fast, we started wondering where we could get some sandbags."

Fort Worth fire dispatchers received about 55 reports of high water at numerous intersections, businesses and homes, but no reports of injuries, said Lt. Kent Worley, a Fire Department spokesman.

The Fort Worth Zoo shut down and evacuated about 250 guests during the flooding. It was expected to reopen at 10 a.m. today.

Rhinoceroses, primates and birds were among the animals safely herded into covered areas of the zoo, said Mindia Whittier, the zoo's marketing director.

In the Fort Worth law offices of James Mallory, employees kicked off their shoes, hiked up their pant legs and feverishly scrambled to move court documents and case files to higher ground.

Then, they watched in disbelief as a Dumpster -- and some of their cars -- floated out of the parking lot and down the street.

"As the water got higher, the cars just started floating and bumping into one another," office manager Karen Grant said as she stood, dripping wet, outside the building. "It was coming down in sheets. One of the secretaries who is from up north likened it to a blizzard.

"You couldn't see through it."

The back room of New Balance shoe store, at the southwest corner of Hulen and Interstate 30, filled with a few inches of water, but no merchandise was damaged, manager Greg Mulkey said.

Some offices and at least 12 student apartments for TCU's Brite Divinity School, at Sandage Avenue and West Bowie Street, were damaged by flooding and raw sewage.

The apartment occupants will be moved to a hotel, where they will stay at least three days while the apartments are cleaned and sanitized, said Diane Cooper, the school's director of communications.

A car was swept away near the intersection of Butler and McClure streets, the same spot where a mother and her two children drowned in flooding April 30. This time, nobody was harmed.

George Behmanesh, assistant director of transportation and public works, said engineers would study the site Monday evening to see if it should be repaired and reopened or closed until more substantial improvements can be made.

Mallory's law offices, near Texas Christian University at Sandage and Berry streets, was one of the hardest-hit locations.

Employees watched from the windows as water gushed into a garden area, rose about 3 1/2 feet and then started coming in the doors.

"We got about 8 inches of water at one point, inside the office," said Grant, the office manager. "We got everything off the floors that we had to."

Employees watched helplessly as at least three cars floated out of the parking lot and down the street.

As employees worked to stay calm, firefighters broke a gate in the back of the buildings and put life vests on all the employees, who held onto ropes as firefighters, stationed every couple of feet, led them out of the building to safety.

Cindy Hammons was leaving a Chick-fil-A near Chapel Hill Shopping Center at Hulen Street and Interstate 30 when rising flood water picked up her 2001 Ford Taurus.

Hammons said she crawled out of her driver side window into the waist-high water. Within 30 minutes, the water receded.

Several witnesses described with amazement how two sport utility vehicles were picked up by the water, rotated at least once and dropped on the curb.

"Those cars didn't drive to the side of the road. They were sucked there," said Sgt. John Perez, pointing to the SUVs outside Arlington Heights High School.

Staff Writers Aman Batheja, Sarah Chako, Melody Mcdonald and David Wethe Contributed to This Report.