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'I Feel Lucky To Be Alive': SW Baltimore Residents Fed Up With Sporadic Flooding

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- Frederick Avenue in Baltimore City remains closed and clean up is under way after flood waters ripped up the street Sunday afternoon.

People in the Southwest Baltimore neighborhood don't want to be forgotten.

It's a bit of a dusty and muddy mess and a lot of people who are living in the ground floor apartments are lucky they got out alive.

A dog was carried away but it was later rescued along with more than 20 people.

"Basements got flooded all the way to the front room," one witness said. "People lost furniture. People lost cars."

Days after the dangerous flash flood, Deborah Chester she still can't go back to her basement apartment. She lost everything. She doesn't know if she'd even want to return.

"We had water up to our waist almost," Chester said. "It scared me to death. I'm worried somebody's going to die next time. I feel lucky to be alive."

Joe Moore's grandfather was trapped on a bus during the flood. He had four inches of water in his home.

"I don't know why the city won't do something about this," Moore said.

The city set up a center to help flood victims at the Stillwater Church. A FEMA study showed the area had three major culverts that drain on to Frederick Avenue. The area has flooded several times but it's rarely been this bad.

A long clean up are under way, and those who live there are thankful no one died, but are weary about the future.

"It smell like mildew," said flood victim Jonathan Baker, who's lived in the area for six years. "I believe it's gonna happen again."

Crews and residents have been working around the clock and they're just hoping that the rain doesn't come Thursday night and disrupt them as they try to get things cleaned up.

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