QUEEN CREEK, AZ — Some homeowners spend days preparing for incoming storms. Troy Young and his fiancée live in south Queen Creek. He told ABC15 he put up a little retention wall on Thursday in preparation for the monsoons this weekend.
Young has to be a little more prepared compared to his other neighbors. He lives downhill from a wash. He says he’s been dealing with it for the last four or five years.
“We’re stuck with the aftermath, I guess you can call it,” he said.
For years, Young and his fiancée stacked sandbags, but that wasn’t enough. Young said water would still come through and go up to the doorstep.
That’s why now they have a little retention wall at the start of their front yard. There’s also plywood held up by ladders behind it to keep it up. Then, Young stacks sandbags in front of it. He hopes to have a more permanent solution soon.
“This is my little impromptu thing that’s worked really good so far, knock on wood,” he said.
Knowing storms are rolling through the area through the weekend makes Young’s fiancée nervous. He says the first day of rain is usually not a problem. It’s the next few days after that when the ground is saturated and more water runs down that will make it a problem.
“I just prepare the wall and get her mind at ease,” he said.
He says the city provides sandbags for homeowners in the area. People can go by fire stations in Queen Creek to fill up sandbags.
The Queen Creek Fire Department said it is ready and prepared for the storms this weekend. They just want people to be safe and make smart decisions.
“It only takes six inches of rushing water to sweep you and your car off the roadway. Then you have a whole other problem,” said Matt Highstreet, with Queen Creek Fire. “Be proactive and avoid it. I know it’s not always convenient to go around and wait, but it’s the smart thing to do because at the end of the day it’s your life.”
If you need to fill up sandbags, here are some places you can go to in Queen Creek or Pinal County:
- Queen Creek Fire Department Station 2, 24787 S. Sossaman
-Apache Junction maintenance area, 305 E Superstition Blvd.
-Arizona City maintenance area, 7945 W. Battaglia
-Casa Grande maintenance area, 22539 W. Peters Rd.
-San Tan maintenance area, 3535 E. Hunt Hwy.
For a complete list in Pinal County, visit their website here.
