Drainage system concerns after street flooding; City of Fort Myers responds

Many experienced chaos and panic behind the wheel as thunderstorms pounded Southwest Florida. Roads flooded fast, including Palm Beach Boulevard.

Fort Myers questioned the status of the city’s drainage systems after streets flooded so quickly Monday night.

“A lot of flooding in downtown Main Street,” said Tim Hayes, a resident of Fort Myers. “I was concerned it was going to get in the buildings, and I saw people driving through it.”

Many people were faced with floodwater only inches away from their homes and businesses in downtown Fort Myers.

“Around 3 o’clock we decided to close. It was a bit dark, the clouds were black,” said Jesus Gonzalez, owner of Los Primos Tires on Palm Beach Boulevard. “I don’t think water came up from the river. It was just the rain. The rain couldn’t go anywhere.”

Some residents expressed concerns about the drainage system along Palm Beach Boulevard impacting the amount of flooding. WINK News asked the City of Fort Myers about the drainage system.

The city said in a statement, in part, “The drains are cleaned as a precaution in all cases to prevent something getting stuck. The key to the storm that went through was there was 3 to 6 inches that fell in a very short period of time. That type of rain will overwhelm any system in the short term, but the key is how quickly it recovered after the storm stopped.”

With more rain anticipated in the area, the City of Fort Myers advises not to drive toward the floods and take alternate routes if needed.

The Fort Myers Police Department also shared some safety tips. Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and possible stalling. A foot of water will float many vehicles, the police department cautioned.