SOMERTON, Ariz. – On Tuesday heavy storms raged across the desert southwest. One area that was hit much harder than others was Somerton. The national weather service says they received 4 to 6 inches in just a 3 hour time frame and they report that the weather system is a 200 year event.
We spoke to the city manager of Somerton Bill Lee who says they did expect rain but nothing this severe. He says they have 84 retention ponds that overflowed. On Wednesday several crews were out trying to drain water from various areas around the city. Several trees and various debris could be seen scattered across the city. We spoke to residents who say they were frightened and that this was something like they have never seen before in the area.
In some areas water is over 7 feet deep. Cars can be seen stuck in the flooding almost completely submerged. The storm was so severe that school districts in Somerton were closed on Wednesday. Lee says that it could take weeks for the city to fully recover.