Motorists driving through flooded road due to clogged drain

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some drivers had to take a detour on Wednesday morning to avoid floodwaters left behind from Tuesday’s storms.

The storm dumped a little more than an inch of rain in Memphis which was enough to flood some roads that couldn’t drain properly, such as Mt. Moriah near Clarke Rd.

“It is one of our hotspots,’ said John Jones with the City of Memphis Public Works Department. “Most of the time when we’re getting ready to have big storms we mostly try to keep this spot right here clear of debris, but over the night there was a lot of rain moving debris that’s why it flooded the way it did.”

The road was submerged for at least 12 hours causing at least one car to get stuck overnight.

FOX13 cameras captured some drivers taking a risk, riding through the high water, while others swerved to avoid the abandoned car, and went on the wrong side of the road to pass.

And others, wisely, turned around to avoid any damage.

It was a scene that played out late Tuesday night and well into Wednesday morning.

FOX13 cameras captured city crews clearing the clog around 7:45 a.m. and workers said it was something they’d been doing at other locations too.

“We’ve been going out to different areas this morning making sure everything was not flooded,” said Jones. “And we did a lot of it yesterday too, to make sure everything is not flooded like ditches and other low spots that are in the city.”

Many cars were unable to see what really was floating in those floodwaters, such as debris which included car bumpers. It can be a costly reminder that it’s a dangerous risk, to drive through floodwaters.

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