MWI Flood control pumps help mitigate storm surge and flooding in Puerto Rico
Repost (in English): Original By Javier Colón Dávila | Primera Hora – July 30, 2020
Cataño – Vivian Torres has lived her 58 years in the Juana Matos Neighborhood, from this municipality. This morning, under the light drizzle, he was sweeping in front of his residence without being able to believe that his property, located a few meters from Caño La Marla, was not flooded with so much rain deposited by Storm Isaías.
"Nothing has been flooded," Torres said. “This would be flooded. If we were as we were before, it would be flooded ... there is too much cleaning."
This newspaper made a tour of the municipality together with Mayor Félix “El Cano” Delgado, who attributes flood control in the town both to the mitigation work mentioned by Torres and to the suction pump system donated by the Corps of Engineers after the passage of Hurricane Maria.
MWI Pumps keep things moving during high rain storms and hurricanes
Cataño is a town susceptible to flooding due to two main factors: it is a coastal municipality and the Caño La Malaria passes through its territory, which receives runoff from other municipalities such as Aguas Buenas, Guaynabo and Bayamón. This morning Atalaya Street, in the Puntilla sector, had less than a foot of accumulated water, as did Amparo and Gómez streets, in Juana Matos.
There was some accumulation of water on the PR-5 highway, but the road was passable in both directions.
"The mitigation worked," the mayor said
“Those pumps carry those waters from the pipe to the sea. That's why the levels are kept under control and the mitigation worked faster. If we did not have those pumps, it would practically be flooded in all parts of our town."
