July 12, 2010: Flooding in Somerville

>> SOMERVILLE POLICE AND

FIREFIGHTERS LEAPT INTO

ACTION THIS PAST SATURDAY

WHEN FLASH FLOODS SUBMERGED

PARTS OF THE TOWN.

A TORRENT OF STORM WATER

LACED WITH PETROLEUM AND RAW

SEWAGE FORCED THE EVACUATION

OF THE CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY

HEADQUARTERS.

AS THE FLOODWATERS CRESTED

OFFICIALS SAY 8 POLICE

MOTORCYCLES WERE SUBMERGED

AND 18 POLICE CRUISERS WERE

FLOATING AROUND LIKE BOATS

AT A MARINA.

THE FLOOD CAUSED MILLIONS OF

DOLLARS IN DAMAGE AND WITH

THE SECOND AT THE BUILDING

IN JUST 12 YEARS SINCE THE

FACILITY IS ONLY PARTIALLY

INSURED, CITY OFFICIALS ARE

NOW TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

BOTH THE COST TO TAXPAYERS

AND WHETHER THERE IS A SAFER

PLACE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY

WORKERS TO CALL HOME AND

JOINING ME HERE IN THE

STUDIO NOW IS THE MAYOR OF

SOMERVILLE, JOSEPH CURTATONE,

WELCOME.

>> WHERE WERE YOU WHEN ALL

OF THIS WAS COMING DOWN.

>> I ACTUALLY WAS IN-- I HAD

JUST ARRIVED AT MY HOME WHEN

THE TORRENTIAL RAIN FELL.

I LEFT MY HOME TO HEAD OVER

TO DO SOMMER RANDS AND I WAS

ON 28 AND I WAS CALLING IN

TO MY FIRE CHIEF, POLICE

CHIEF BECAUSE IT WAS JUST

FROM THE WRATH OF GOD.

>> Rooney: SO YOU KNEW, AND

28 WHERE THAT AWFUL THING

HAPPENED WITH THE WOMAN WHO

COULDN'T SWIM,.

>> I WAS IN THE IMMEDIATE

VICINITY THERE.

THERE WAS WATER COMING OUT

OF THE SURGE PINES FROM THE

93 OVERDECK, SURGING OFF.

THE CARS MOTORCYCLES WERE

FLIGHTING, CARS WERE

FLOATING ON 93.

IT WAS JUST A BAD SCENE.

IT WAS AN UNUSUAL INCIDENT.

>> Rooney: NOW THIS IS NOT

THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS

PARTICULAR FACILITY HAS

FLOODED LIKE THIS.

IT HAPPENED BACK IN 1998.

WERE THERE PROVISIONS MADE.

WAS THE BUILDING CHANGED.

DO YOU THINK IT WAS A ONCE

IN A LIFETIME OCCURRENCE.

>> THE STORM IN THE LATE 90s

DIDN'T HAPPEN AS QUICK, AS

RAPID.

THIS WAS A FEROCIOUS STORM

IT HAPPENED SO QUICK.

AND THE AREA IS PECULIAR

BECAUSE THE RIVER RUNS

UNDERNEATH THE SQUARE.

THEY HAVE A WATER TABLE

ISSUE.

WE HAD MADE INFRASTRUCTURE

IMPROVEMENTS IN SURROUNDING

AREAS BUT THERE IS A

CAPACITY ISSUE WHEN YOU HAVE

RAIN COMING THIS FAST, TWO

INCHES AN HOUR THAT IS A

CONCERN TO US.

BACK IN THE LAST STORM IN

'98 '99 STORM THAT KNOCKED

OUT THE PROVISIONS THIS ONE

WAS WORSE WITHOUT.

>> Rooney: I'M TRIING TO

PICTURE WHAT THE POLICE WERE

DOING.

THEY WERE ALMOST RUNNING TO

GET THEIR MOTORCYCLES AND

CARS A AND GOING, THEY

COULDN'T GET IN THEM.

WHAT DO THEY DO TO GO GET

OUT AND HELP PEOPLE.

>> THE PARKING LOT IS ON A

DECLINE AND THE WATER WAS

COMING LIKE A WATERFALL.

WE LITERALLY HAD TOW TRUCK

DRIVERS JUMPING INTO THE

WATER, HE PERSONING

THEMSELVES HOOKING UP CARS

PULLING THEM OUT IT WAS A

SCENE YOU COULDN'T DESCRIBE.

>> Rooney: WERE THE CARS

PERMANENTLY DAMAGED.

>> WE HAVE 18 CARS SUFFERED

WATER DAMAGE.

THERE ARE 17-- THE MOST WE

HAVE TO DEAL WITH MOTOR

ISSUES THAT ARE GONE.

SOME OF THE VEHICLES.

THE MOTORCYCLES HAVE ALL

BEEN SENT OUT TO DEALERSHIP

TO CHECK THE MOTORS, CLEAN

THEM UP.

THEY MAY BE SALVAGEABLE BUT

AS YOU MENTIONED IN THE

OPENING, THE INSURANCE FOR

THE BUILDING, THAT'S

PROBABLY NOT GOING TO COVER

THE VEHICLES.

>> Rooney: WHY NOT.

>> IT IS JUST A PROVISION.

WE'LL HAVE TO ARGUE ABOUT

WHAT CONTENTS ARE IN THE

BUILDING.

UNIFORMS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT

VERSUS VEHICLES.

WE'LL MAKE IT PART OF OUR

CLAIM BUT THE ENTIRE FLOOR

PLATE INCLUDING THE PARKING

LOT WAS FLOODED WITH FOUR

FEET OF WATER.

>> Rooney: WHAT ARE YOU

GOING TO DO TO YOU, BECAUSE

IN THE CITY OF BOSTON WE

HAVE HAD FOUR OF THESE, THEY

CALL THEM NATURAL BURSTS, WE

HAVE HAD ONE EVERY SUNDAY

FOR A COUPLE IN JUNE, A

COUPLE IN JULY THIS COULD

HAPPEN AGAIN IT SEEMS TO BE

A PATTERN THIS SUMMER.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO.

>> RIGHT NOW IN IN TERMS OF

STORAGE.

>> THE IMMEDIATE ISSUE OF

THE BUILDING IS GET IT BACK

ON-LINE.

FROM THE SYSTEM STANDPOINT T

IS DEAD.

THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS HAVE

TO BE BE CHANGED.

9/11 SYSTEM CHANGED.

WE HAVE LATE FALL, EARLY

WINTER, AS SOON AS THE

SYSTEMS ARE IN, WE GET

PEOPLE BACK T IS PROBABLY

ABOUT A WEEK AWAY.

ON THE LONG-TERM WE'RE GOING

TO BE MOVING OUT OF THAT

BUILDING AND BUILD A NEW

FACILITY IN THE CITY BUT

THAT IS PROBABLY ABOUT FIVE

YEARS OUT.

>> Rooney: WHAT HAPPENED

WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES IN

THE OTHER STREETS AND

NEIGHBORHOODS IN SOMERVILLE

DID.

OTHER RESIDENTIAL AREAS

SUFFER THE SAME.

>> SURE, WHEN SCHOOLS.

WE HAD THREE SCHOOL

BUILDINGS FLOODED INCLUDING

THE LINE RATHER BASEMENT.

SOME, THE RESIDENTS AND

NEIGHBORHOODS WHICH HAVEN'T

IN THE LAST 30, 40 YEARS

HAVEN'T AT ALL EXPERIENCED

FLOODING EXPERIENCED IT IN

STORM IT WAS UNPRECEDENTED.

WE'RE TRYING TO AES THE

CLAIMS FOR ALL OF THESE

LOSSES TO MAKE AN

APPLICATION TO FEMA.

>> Rooney: MAYBE YOU HAVE TO

DO THAT BECAUSE INSURANCE

COMPANIES ARE NOTORIOUSLY

UNSYMPATHETIC TO WATER

DAMAGE.

UNIVERSALLY THAT INCLUDES

HOMES AS WELL.

>> IT IS DIFFICULT.

>> Rooney: SO ARE YOU GOING

TO MOVE OUT OF THIS

PARTICULAR FA CIT BUT ARE

YOU GOING TO BE BUYING NEW

CARS RIGHT AWAY.

>> THE MOST OF OUR CARS WILL

BE OKAY BUT WE HAVE TO

REPLACE THE MOTORS ON THOSE

CARS SO WE ARE IN THE

PROCESS OF DOING THAT.

ASSESSING, WE WILL REPLACE

THOSE ENGINES.

KEEPING OUR FINGERS CROSSED

WITH THE MOTORCYCLES.

WE'LL HAVE TO SEEK FEDERAL

AID OR THE TAXPAYERS WILL

HAVE TO PAY FOR IT PEOPLE

SHOULD KNOW 911 WILL ANSWER

YOUR CALLS.

WE ARE UP AND RUNNING ON

BOTH THE BUILDING ITSELF

OPERATIONS STANDPOINT,

ASSISTANCE STANDPOINT.

>> Rooney: I AM REALLY

WONDERING WHY SOMERVILLE IN

THIS CASE BECAUSE EVERYTHING

I WAS READING OVER THE

WEEKEND, THE GROUND WAS SO

HARD FROM THE FACT THAT IT

HADN'T RAINED A DROP, 15

DAYS, NOTHING.

USUALLY LAST TIME WE GOT

RAIN EVERY COUPLE OF HOURS.

SO THIS YEAR IT HASN'T BEEN,

BUT YOU WONDER WHY THERE

THERE WAS JUST THIS MACRO

BURST DIRECTLY OVER SOMMER

VIRL BECAUSE CERTAINLY THERE

WAS A LOT OF THAT ACTIVITY T

HAPPENED IN BOSTON, IN THE

NORTH SHORE.

>> WHEN I TALKED TO THE

ACTING CHIEF OF POLICE I

CALLED HIM RIGHT DURING THE

STORM.

HE WAS IN WILMINGTON AND

THERE WAS SOME RAIN STARTING

BUT NOTHING CLOSE TO THIS.

IT IS STRANGE HOW THE

WEATHER WORKS.

I JUST AS THE RAIN STARTED T

IS GOOD TO GET SOME RAIN.

I WILL NEVER WISH FOR THAT

AGAIN.

>> .

>> Rooney: I WAS HEADING

SOUTH AND DIDN'T GET A DROP

AGAIN.

>> IT IS STRANGE.

POWER OF MOTHER NATURE, THE

POWER OF WATER.

WE ARE THANKFUL NOBODY WAS

INJURED.

>> Rooney: THAT IS AMAZING.

>> THE TUNNEL.

>> Rooney: THAT WAS REALLY

DRAMATIC, AND GREAT PICTURES

IN THE GLOBE.

ALL RIGHT, SOMERVILLE MAYOR,

IT WAS A PLEASURE TO YOU

HAVE.

WHEN WE CONTINUE, HOW DOES

SHE DO T THE SCULPTURE OF

CHAKAIA BOOKER.