BOISE, Idaho — Tuesday night's weather took a lot of people by surprise, including Devil's Den employee Joshua Rohnert.
"I was planning on a pretty slow [night]," he said.
But the night took a turn around 7 p.m. The Boise bar is located below street level, so once the downpour started, Rohnert said it was only a matter of time before the place started flooding.
The water seeped through the wood plants and onto the floor, he said.
"I just grabbed all the dirty rags around the building that I could, threw them all over trying to keep water from going under the bar top, mostly just ... trying to keep it all in one place," Rohnert said.
Other downtown businesses also flooded, along with streets and highways around the city. During her time in the Treasure Valley, KTVB meteorologist Rachel Garceau said she has never seen anything like Tuesday's storm.
From 6:41 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, Ada County Dispatch told KTVB they received 11 reports of flooding, 10 reports of traffic hazards, seven reports of stalled vehicles and 10 vehicle crashes.
It really does not take that much water to become dangerous, Garceau said.
"Floodwater can be deceiving," she said. "Any standing water can be deceiving but rushing water is even more dangerous."
It only takes 6 inches of rushing water to sweep an adult of their feet, even less for a child or animal. Garceau said it usually takes 12 inches of water to sweep away a normal-sized car.
She recommends not driving through flooded streets and seeker higher ground until the water goes away.
Ada County Highway District crews were out until 2:30 a.m. cleaning up messes around town because of the storm. Jennifer Berenger, deputy director of maintenance said the storm drains can typically handle the amount of rain.
However, during a storm like Tuesday's, she said it requires a bit more patience for the water to find its way through the system. ACHD deployed five Vactor trucks; each of those trucks could suck up 3,000 gallons of water.
They also sent out 10 back sweeper trucks, Berenger said.
"Our guys were on call responding to dispatch," she said. "So, Ada County Dispatch, Boise Police Department."
A lot of the time, Berenger said water running through the system dislodges things in the water system, like tree roots. During emergency operations, crews are trying to clear all that debris.
While ACHD maintains the storm drains all year, she said people at home have a responsibility, too. Even blowing glass clippings out onto the road can block the system.
"It's as easy as just brushing that away a lot of times, and that allows the water to flow," Berenger said.
She said crews are on call and prepared to respond to any future storms.
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