Cleanup continues in Rose Park neighborhood after flooding rains

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — From Saturday’s rains to Sunday’s sitting water, residents on Salt Lake City’s west side are cleaning up the soggy damage left behind.

Salt Lake resident Ben Mutie spoke with ABC4 about the damage left behind by yesterday’s storm.

“There was really nothing we could do,” Mutie said. “I mean, at that point, it was just too much.”

Mutie showed ABC4 the damage in his basement, where the entire basement remains covered in water.

“In my boots, it was all the way almost to my knee level, and it just kept rising,” Mutie added. “There’s really nothing we can do. We can’t pump it because the whole ground and streets are still flooded. It’s just chaos.”

It’s a similar story for resident Scott Bird, who says the work won’t end even after the water is gone.

“The wall between the garage and the house is keeping 90% of the moisture up,” Bird says. “Still have one or two inches of water in the garage and in the basement, so all of the carpet needs to be pulled, dried and replaced.

Adding to the mess, neighbors like Samuel Ramirez report that trucks have driven through the water, making it rush into their homes.

“The waves that [the drivers] caused, it just blew up our barricade entirely, just breaking everything,” Ramirez says. “It broke our garage window. It just made it all flood in. Our whole basement is just screwed up. Everything is wrong now.”

“I was just surprised how unaware those guys are,” added resident Tim Osmani.

The American Red Cross of Utah is on the ground working to help people affected by the flash flooding, with disaster volunteers assessing homes and distributing cleanup kits. The volunteers tell ABC4 they were impressed by how neighbors were already helping each other out.

If you’ve been affected by flooding and need assistance or if you’re interested in volunteering, you can contact the Red Cross by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or by visting redcross.org.