Be prepared for floods

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Be prepared for floods

Pair learns hard way about rain

By DEBORAH O'CONNOR / The Desert Trail

TWENTYNINE PALMS - Philip and Cisneros know too well the importance of

being prepared for the desert's ability to swamp homes in less than an hour

with flash floods.

It was more than a bad day in May 1997 when the couple came home to find 75

percent of their roof caved in and more than 365 gallons of water in their

house after a major storm that literally sent a wall of water through their

Sherman Highlands neighborhood.

Since then, the Cisneroses have learned a lot about how to ready their

property for a storm.

What happened to the Cisneroses was actually an extraordinary accident and

$28,000 in damages later, they had been taught a very expensive lesson.

" People need to realize what their coverage (flood insurance) really means, "

Philip Cisneros stressed during an interview Friday.

Although they were able to prove the fault lay in human error in their

home's construction, the Cisneroses weren't aware that surface floods were

not covered in their policy.

They endured a particularly unique disaster that they attribute to the

design of the home, mainly the roof, which was designed for two inches of

rain a year, not the four inches that fell in an hour that May day. The

unseasonal and unexpected shower led the couple to adopt a more careful

philosophy when it comes to desert weather.

" The desert is a unique, harsh and unforgiving environment, " Philip Cisneros

said. " Never take for granted where you are. "

He has since redesigned the once flat roof to have a slight pitch with

additional drain spouts. He also has advice for homeowners regarding their

roofs.

" If you have a flat roof, take a look at its drainage. Look for water marks

and closely examine where the roof vents are; ask yourself if the water

could back up and soak into the ventilation, " Philip Cisneros advised.

He added that some home builders tend to go with cosmetics in place of

better design, so buyers should know their home well, including their yard.

Solid advice for avoiding unsolid ground would be to look at where the house

is placed in respect to the path of water drainage. If it's between the high

and low point of an area, odds are the water will come right into the home

if not diverted.

Cisneros advised that homeowners rework the ground around the house so that

it does not take the direct flow of water.

Both the Cisneros and Twentynine Palms Fire Department engineer Tim Cole

agree that having sandbags prepared in advance is a good idea.

Cole also recommends building up the berms around the property in an attempt

to kept water flowing down the street.

Ron Peck, disaster coordinator for the city of Twentynine Palms, said that

overall, the city on the whole has not been hit too badly by storms the past

few years, including this past week's storms.

Street crews worked all weekend to keep the streets clear of debris and sand

and were still busy during the week.

" We do what we can, we take care of the whole city and our priority is to

keep the streets open, " Peck said. " We have a three man crew, sometimes it

may be a matter of days before they can get to a particular street to sweep

it. "

While no one anticipates a major flooding disaster to occur, Peck said that

in the event one did, the city's general emergency disaster plan would go

into effect.

Barricades would be set up, all city crews would respond in addition to

Citizen's Patrol, the Sheriff's Department and the local Red Cross. Public

schools and facilities would be used as shelter areas if necessary.

It doesn't hurt to be prepared.