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BISBEE — Heavy rain across Cochise County flooded several roads and caused rock to be washed into Bisbee.
The Cochise County Highway and Floodplain Department on Thursday morning announced that rural roads, or a portion of them, have been closed due to flooding.
And the Bisbee Public Works Department had its hands full Thursday afternoon after a drenching brought tons of gravel, rock and debris from the slopes of Zacatecas Canyon, turning Brewery Gulch in Old Bisbee into a river.
Public Works Director Russ McConnell stood near the enormous pile of stone, with some rocks weighing possibly 40 pounds or more, watching as city workers loaded it onto dump trucks.
 Bisbee Public Works Director Russ McConnell watches the city’s street crew clear debris brought down from the mountains via Brewery Gulch Road Thursday afternoon. He estimated 100 cubic yards of rock, gravel and debris had to be removed after a downpour hit the city. (Shar Porier-Herald/Review) |
“This is an annual affair during the monsoon,” said McConnell. “We probably have 100 cubic yards to move, and more is still coming. People don’t realize how forceful water can be.”
McConnell said there were a few streets in Old Bisbee that became drainage ways during the heavy rains.
Reportedly at City Hall, dime size hail was falling, and Arizona Street flooded in the Warren District.
No other roads were closed in Bisbee.
Other parts of the county saw heavy rain as well, flooding several rural roads.
Other roads closed by the county are:
• Gleeson Road from milepost 3 to 4
• Mormon Road closed from milepost 2 to 5
• Whitewater closed from milepost 1 to 2.74
• Latimer Road closed from Central Road to Highway 191.
The roads in the Elfrida/McNeal area “will remain closed until further notice,” said Cochise County Highway and Floodplain staff member Janet Smith.
Elfrida received around one to two inches of rainfall during the powerful storm that hit in the early hours Thursday morning, according to radar indications from the area, said John Glueck, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
The flooding that occurred could have been sheet flow from the mountains, which received more rainfall. Sheet flows, as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are shallow floods from rainwater in arid regions that can spread out over large areas.
As more storms moved in across Cochise County through the evening hours on Thursday, the chance of more flooding was possible.
The AccuWeather Web site estimates that an additional 0.25 to 0.30 of an inch of water could have fallen in the Elfrida/McNeal area, with a higher amount predicted to fall in the mountains.
The county warns residents against passing through flooded washes and dips in the roads, since “moving water across washes and roads can be a powerful force and can drag anything down in its path from the force of the currents,” as stated in an online alert. “If you ignore traffic safety signs, such as ‘Do not enter when flooded,’ or ‘Road Closed,’ you may encounter a life-threatening experience and may be financially responsible for your own rescue.
“Anyone who fears being trapped by floodwaters or cutoff from emergency response personnel should consider alternate, temporary arrangements.”
High Knoll Road also is closed as the floodwater from a storm once again blocked access, reported Neal Galt, a High Knoll resident.
This time flood waters took out the north side of the road above the wash and created a precarious drop-off.
Fifteen residents were out in the wash at 5:30 a.m. trying to get a passable make-shift road finished. They worked with hand tools and wheelbarrows to try to build a path, Galt said.
Rocks and boulders were moved into place to help secure the temporary road.
Thanks to the work of the community, a father was able to get his young daughter to the hospital, Galt said. She had cut herself and was bleeding profusely. One of the volunteers walked in front of the car to check for large rocks and the car was able to cross.
“Had the incident happened just 45 minutes earlier, there would have been no way out,” Galt added. “Perhaps the young girl would have died.”
For information about road closures, call the county Highway and Floodplain Department at 432-9300.
Reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.
cam wrote on Aug 15, 2008 11:23 PM: