EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Heavy rain caused flooding at North View Apartments in northeast El Paso Wednesday morning, sending water onto the property, partially submerging several vehicles and forcing water into at least four apartment units.
Residents said the water came in quickly, with some apartments seeing several inches of standing water.
“I just felt my floor completely soaked. The more I walked in my apartment, the deeper the water got,” one resident said.
Video provided to KFOX14/CBS4 by FitFam shows standing water inside one of the apartments.
A person wearing rain boots can be seen walking through the flooded unit while trying to salvage belongings from the floor.
Resident Sanaa Haynes said water entered her bedroom and bathroom.
Destiny Venecia reports on Cleanup, damage assessments underway after apartments flood in northeast El Paso (Credit: KFOX14)
She said she was awakened by a neighbor banging on residents’ doors to warn them about the flooding.
“It was a lot of water, but not as much as my neighbors down the hall. There was up to their knees, so their damage was a lot worse than mine,” Haynes said.
Haynes said she has renters insurance and has already filed a claim.
She also has family nearby where she can stay while her apartment is assessed.
She said flooding has happened at the property before, but Wednesday’s flooding was the worst she has experienced.
“It has always flooded bad. We are used to it, but this has been the worst of it,” Haynes said.
North View Apartments are managed by M7 Property Management. General Manager Mike Baca said at least four apartments have reported water damage.
Crews have been pumping water from the property and affected units.
Contractors and a suction company are also working to remove the water and assess the damage.
Management said the developer is assisting with the cleanup and examining ways to reduce flooding at the property.
“We built it maybe last year, so this is the first major rainfall that we’ve had. With any new construction there’s going to be a hiccup or so,” Baca said.
Baca said an arroyo on the property was designed to handle ponding, but the amount of rain overwhelmed the area.
“We do have our arroyo here that was made for ponding. Evidently the rain overtook that, and we’re dealing with the aftermath of that,” Baca said.
Management said it plans to add barriers near the fence to help prevent additional water from entering the property during future heavy rain.
Residents and crews are now focused on removing the water, assessing damage and determining the next steps for affected apartments.
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