Still wade-ing for flood relief

Heavy rains in Wilmington turned one woman’s lawn into a pond today. It’s a problem she’s been having for almost half a century, but relief could be in sight.

Gertrude Kincaid lives at 212 Pine Grove Drive. She’s seen plenty of heavy rains turn her lawn into a lake. That’s meant plenty of fun for her neighbors. “They brought their paddle boats here and were paddling around in my yard,” Kincaid said. But for Kincaid, it’s been quite the hazard. “It affects my life by making me stay indoors. I can’t get out unless I am going to wade.”

Flooding wasn’t always a problem. When Kincaid built the house in the 1950’s, her home was high and dry. “At that time, Treadwell Street was an alley, so we had no problems with flooding.”

Once the city paved the road all that changed.

Kincaid says her pleas to city officials had fallen on deaf ears.

After a call from WWAY, city storm water crews stopped by her house to see what could be done.

“We do have some projects we’re working on in coordination with DOT, trying to alleviate some of the flooding over in that area,” said Richard King.

But King says the location could make it difficult for Kincaid to keep her head above the water. “That area over there is relatively flat and her house is probably one of the lower areas over there so a lot of the water will migrate to that ditch.”

Still, Kincaid says she’s thankful for any rescue attempts. “They’re going to try to see what they can do to rectify the situation. It might be drainpipes larger, getting the trash out of them, maybe diverting the water. I was so thrilled and I want to thank WWAY.”

King says today’s flooding was probably made worse by last week’s large rains, but storm water crews will be out this week to make sure the drain lines are clear and survey the system to see if they can provide any additional relief.