As the floodwaters on McCoy’s Creek Boulevard rose throughout the day Thursday, the danger they posed became abundantly apparent.
In the hours our team was on the scene, they had to call 911 twice to get help for drivers caught in the water.
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Hours later they jumped into the waters to help Linda Watkins, who was trapped in her car as it was swept away by the current.
Pulling her out of her car window, the team was able to get her safely to dry land.
Her daughter, Tenisha Bradham, was just thankful she made it out. “I wouldn’t want this to happen to anyone else’s family member. I’m very grateful that she’s OK but the next person, that might not be the case for them,” said Bradham.
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Neighbor Nicole Newsome told us incidents like these happen all the time at the intersection of King Street and McCoy’s Creek Boulevard.
“We come out just to see who’s next because somebody is going to do it,” said Newsome.
So, what is the city doing to fix the problem?
It’s committed $105 million to a restoration project aimed at mitigating flooding in the creek.
The project kicked off in June of last year, and some of the work is clearly visible, with parts of McCoy’s Creek Boulevard torn up and new cul-de-sacs under construction.
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But nine months in, flooding is obviously still occurring.
“They built a cul-de-sac out on this end and the water’s still rising. Obviously, it’s not enough yet,” said Newsome.
Restoration is expected to be completed by the fall of the following year.
“Additional phases of construction will continue, although a specific schedule has not been set,” said Adkins.
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After what Bradham experienced Thursday, she said she’d like to see that expedited.
“I would like them to see taking care of this as soon as possible,” said Bradham.
Authorities eventually put up barriers blocking entry to the floodwaters, but that didn’t happen until after the second incident Thursday.
Once the King Street Bridge is eventually raised, it will hopefully keep the floodwaters below the street instead of over the top.
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