Heavy rains cause flash flooding conditions
DURHAM -- Heavy rains across the ABC11 viewing area prompted flooding concerns early Monday afternoon.
Parts of Durham County got over three inches of rain in just three hours leading to street flooding and creeks out of their banks.
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Streets were flooded at South Roxboro Street and Morehead Avenue. There were reports of flooded out cars on University Drive near Forest Hills Park. Liberty Street at East Lane Street was also closed due to high water.
Nana's restaurant and other businesses in the 2500 block of University Drive were again hit by flash flooding conditions.
When the rain started coming down Monday, Scott Howell, owner of Nana's restaurant on University Drive, snapped some pictures of the culvert across the street. The ground is collapsing around it and he wanted to show Durham city leaders what it looked like.
Howell has owned Nana's and surrounding properties for more than two decades. He and his wife, Aubrey, said they can't even count how many times it has flooded during a storm.
After the last time it took on water, Howell said he spent $140,000 renovating the building and making it resistant to massive amounts of run-off.
Now, he said all that work will go to waste if the NCDOT does not step in and fix the culvert that's breaking down across the street. He said the water just backs up and has nowhere to go.
DOT Division Engineer Wally Bowman told ABC11 it has been about a year and a half since his crews surveyed the culvert on University Drive. He said now that Nana's has completed renovations, he will look into getting hydraulic teams to the site.
A spokesperson for the City of Durham said the city cannot step in and correct issues with the culvert behind Nana's because it's not on city property. Howell says it consistently clogs with debris coming down the hill from a neighboring development.
Nana's had to close Monday when Howell couldn't get the water heater working in time to prepare for the dinner-time rush. The owners said they expected to be back open for business on Tuesday.
A lightning strike is believed to have caused a small attic fire in a home in the 6000 block of Coronado Lane. There were no injuries, and only minor damage to the home.
Scattered thunderstorms should continue into the evening hours due to the humidity.
ABC11 Chief Meteorologist Chris Hohmann said the chance of flash flooding should subside throughout the evening and rain should end after midnight.
Rain, however, will remain in the forecast for the rest of the week.
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