Crews stationed in the area were unable to prevent flooding caused by heavy rain. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Business owners and residents are angry after heavy rain overnight on Feb. 16-17 flooded stores in the 7400 block of Melrose Avenue.

The section of Melrose Avenue near Vista Street lies at a low point and has been frequently prone to flooding over the years. To prevent flooding, the city deploys Department of Sanitation crews with pump trucks to the area when heavy rain is forecast. When rain fell on Feb. 16-17, crews were on scene but drains still got overwhelmed and backed up, leading to flooding in multiple businesses along the street.

“I’m really fired up about it. I’ve lived here for 25 years and it’s happened more times than I can count,” said Peter Nichols, co-founder of the Melrose Action community organization. “Every storm, the city sends crews to the area to stand guard here with equipment, putting the trucks at Vista and Gardner. They pump it out, and it’s worked, but this time it didn’t work and it flooded. You can’t make this stuff up, the incompetence going on.”

Don Duckworth, executive director of the Melrose Avenue Business Improvement District, said merchants are calling for answers.

“I can’t tell you how many emails with videos I’m getting from business owners about the flooding,” Duckworth said. “Times are tough and the economy is difficult. Small businesses and merchants need all the help they can get, not more problems.”

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, 5th District, called the flooding “unacceptable.”

“LASAN confirmed ahead of the storm that pump trucks and crews would be staged and actively responding, as they have successfully done in the past. Instead, the response was delayed, inadequate and local businesses were left dealing with flooding and damage,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement. “We have demanded an immediate review from LASAN to determine exactly what happened, who was responsible for the breakdown and what corrective actions will be taken right now. We expect answers and we expect immediate change. This cannot happen again.”

Yaroslavsky’s spokesman Leo Daube said the councilwoman was scheduled to meet with the Department of Sanitation on Feb. 18 to determine exactly how the flooding happened and how it can be prevented in the future. Some business owners alleged that city equipment was at the site but crew members were not present, which led to the flooding.

The Department of Sanitation said crews were stationed at the site on Feb. 16-17, but the intense rain was overwhelming.

“A powerful, sudden and fast-moving storm system associated with an atmospheric river condition produced excessive amounts of rain that temporarily overwhelmed the stormwater system. The local rain gauges showed over three quarters of an inch of rain in a one-hour period. These gauges are in the proximity of the location,” department spokesperson Heather Johnson said in a statement. “LASAN equipment and crews remained on scene to address any further impacts. LASAN will continue to coordinate with business owners to ensure they have sandbags, are aware of future repairs and have contact information for reporting flooding or other issues and to address questions or concerns.”

Crews remained in the area overnight on Feb. 17-18 when another intense rainstorm deluged the area. There were no further reports of significant flooding during the succeeding rainstorm.

Daube said the councilwoman’s first focus is on the breakdowns that occurred, but she is also looking toward long-term solutions. Daube did not know how much it costs to deploy the sanitation crews when it rains, but said the cost is significant, particularly when funding for city services is tight due to budget constraints. He said a long-term solution will require coordination with the county, which is responsible for the flood control system in the area. A larger infrastructure improvement project to increase drainage system capacity is needed to permanently alleviate flooding issues, but no such project is currently under consideration and would have to go through months if not years of planning.

On Feb. 18, staff members were still cleaning up at some of the businesses impacted along Melrose Avenue. An employee who only gave his name as Daniel at Brooklyn Projects, a skate shop at 7427 Melrose Ave., said merchandise including clothing and shoes was damaged. The losses are still being tabulated.

“It was pretty bad,” he said. “The water was basically up to their knees.”

Nichols called the flooding an example of intrinsic problems facing communities citywide.

“This is embarrassing to say the least, such an utter failure,” he said. “It’s a really glaring example of how mismanaged this city is.”

Crews cleaned up debris from heavy rainfall at businesses along Melrose Avenue. (photo by Edwin Folven)