Drivers explain 'uncontrollable' rain Tuesday causing MFD to respond to over 50 submerged vehicles
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — If you were driving in Milwaukee Tuesday, especially on the north side, you likely saw cars stranded due to street flooding. The Milwaukee Fire Department says it was called to over 50 water rescues overnight — most of them for submerged vehicles.
Water had finally receded enough for owners to get their cars in the morning and prepare for what could be a repeat Wednesday night.
"I wasn't going to go under the bridge because the water was already standing, but there were so many cars behind me, and I couldn't even see. And [my wife] started to panic and I said, 'Im gonna try to make it, I'm gonna try to make it.' It went from 2 feet to 6 feet in less than 10 minutes," said Darren Alford. He was driving his wife home from work on Tuesday night when he said the rain went from "medium to hard," becoming "uncontrollable."
They were driving near Teutonia and Kinzie on Milwaukee's north side when they got stuck in the flooded road.
"All the electric stuff in the car went bad - it went haywire," explained Alford. He said because of the short circuiting, his wife's car seat was pushed all the way up to the windshield. "It was bad," he said emotionally.
The Alfords were rescued by the Milwaukee Fire Department. She was taken to the hospital and got an X-ray, indicating she had a crack in her back.
That was one of over 50 rescues by MFD, with a strong reminder for those driving near flooded streets: "Go around it. Err on the side of caution. No matter what kind of car you have," explained Captain Scott Alwin, the director for MFD's dive team.
Meanwhile, on 107th and Donna, a van was stuck in mud overnight on a condominium's front yard. A front bumper from another vehicle was a few feet away, as was a street sign that was knocked over.
Residents described the storm as "mayhem" and "out of a movie." Kaeva Johnson said the standing water "was so strong, it turned cars around."
As cleanup continues, communities are banding together, explained Johnson. Something so crazy like this disaster has brought us together though."
Though we aren't expecting as much rain Wednesday as we got Tuesday night, because the ground is so saturated, the fire department's dive team is adding two additional units to aid in responses. They say there is a higher risk for flooding.
Capt. Alwin says it's hard to tell how deep the water can be, and your car can lose contact with the road, causing it to float. That then makes it a dangerous situation for you and first responders. Capt. Alwin explained that it's difficult to know what's under the water, wires could electrify the water, and if there's "a severe amount of flooding, it can backpressure the sewers" causing the manhole cover to blow off and create suction into the sewers.
Firefighters say you should not go in the water if you're stuck or if you're trying to help someone.
Instead, wait for help. And if there's immediate danger, throw a rope or a hose.