Shoppers drenched at Somali Mall after Saturday's downpour leaks through damaged roof
MINNEAPOLIS -- Saturday's downpours are certainly welcome to ease drought conditions but the torrid rains and arid ground were a bad recipe for flooding.
Flash flooding on Roberts Street in West St. Paul caused the city to shut down the street temporarily. Traffic cameras showed a Mini Cooper there stranded in the rising water on the road.
When it comes to flash flooding, there's only so much civil engineering can take. If storm drains are clogged or there's too much water at one time, there's going to be flash flooding.
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There was reported damage indoors too - shoppers and storeowners were drenched at the Somali Mall on South 24th Street.
The city councilman for that area, Jamal Osmond, who was at the mall with his family, said the roof wasn't fully fixed from a fire last month.
"What I saw was that the water was gushing everywhere, was flooding everywhere," Osmond said. "It really affects the small business owners - people that are here to do the work. It was very frustrating to see their belongings damaged."
Fire crews were there not to put out a fire, but to help dry things out. Store owners themselves carried and emptied bucket after bucket, pail after pail.
"The health concern, the safety concern, even the power and electricity. That's one of the things I asked, is if the building is safe," Osmond said.
The mall stayed open and repair crews were up on the roof after the rain stopped. The councilman said a city inspector will visit the property on Sunday.
