Within an hour and 40 minutes Kansas City saw four inches of rain. Creating mass destruction in some cases, including homes and apartments along Roanoke in Westport.
"It's kind of weird because this used to be our home for several years and now look at it," said Westport resident Alex Lacascio. "It looks like the water came up to about here so the whole patio flooded completely and I think the water just got too much, too much pressure and went through the window."
Friday was the 11th wettest day on record, according to the National Weather Service.
Downtown KC measured 4.56" of rain yesterday - making it the 11th wettest day since records began. pic.twitter.com/wufXBGG1EA
— NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) August 27, 2016
Another resident, Mitch Ebbertt is in the middle of moving from one apartment to another one. Around 6 inches of water got inside his apartment, destroying all his belongings now in boxes.
"It was dark so I stepped down into it and was like that's not right and I turned the lights on and like looked around and everything was kind of floating around," said Ebbertt.
The Kansas City Water Department tells 41 Action News nothing could have stopped Friday night's flash flooding. They said last night’s event was a 25 to 50 year event, and that Westport's infrastructure is only built to handle a 2-5 year event.
Over 4" rain in 1 hr 40 min. Almost a 100 year rain event. City storm system designed for 5-10 yr rain event. https://t.co/czJC1Oe4qU
— KC City Manager (@KCMOManager) August 27, 2016
Kansas City’s Manager’s Officer tweeted that with the $5 billion dollars of improvements in the works now, the improvements could not handle all that rain in such a short amount of time.
.@kcmo In year 7 of 25 year upgrade of system at cost of $5 billion. Even when done, still won't handle last night. https://t.co/An3Fc6azWE
— KC City Manager (@KCMOManager) August 27, 2016
The Missouri Department of Insurance said that it will assist residents who experienced flooding damage after the storm.
“The department is here to assist Missourians impacted by last night’s flash flooding,” said Missouri Department of Insurance Director John M. Huff. “We encourage residents and business owners to contact the department with any insurance related questions or concerns. Our state agency is here to help residents through the recovery process.”
The department also offers flood resources online that include information on how flood damage is covered.
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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com
