ARLINGTON, Texas -- Business owners off Abram Road in Arlington are cleaning up after their stores flooded over the weekend.
Their shops are next to Johnson Creek, which has a history of flooding. However, the owners say they’ve never seen flooding like this. They believe the city should be held responsible after recent construction.
Gabriel Ugege is a real estate broker. His office flooded. Documents were ruined. Computers were broken. “One day, this building will collapse. Part of the building already collapsed on the other end,” he said. The water rushed downhill over the weekend and broke the windows of another storefront.
The City of Arlington confirms part of the Abram Street Rebuild Project was elevating the roadway to reduce flooding issues in the road.
After a weekend of rain, it looks like the elevated bridge is preventing flooding in the streets, but business owners say it’s making things worse for them. They say the new wall built for the bridge is trapping water in their complex.
As Eunice Omai was sweeping water out of her barber and beauty shop, she said, “They took care of the road, but they didn’t take care of the people that have businesses here.”
Arlington’s Storm Water Division is looking into the flooding issue. Business owners are asking the city to protect their building and their businesses.