Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502140032
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A miniature river flowed under the table holding the potted cactus in Perfection Auto Body's waiting room Friday morning.
Shop owner Jack Bennett stood on water-soaked carpet and explained how a fire hydrant hit by a tractor-trailer led to about a foot of water flowing through his building.
About 2 or 3 inches of standing water remained when Bennett arrived at 7:30 a.m., but it was receding, he said.
After finding boxes of auto parts piled in a room next to the one where they are normally stored, he guessed the water had been flowing forcefully. Apparently, the water had pushed the boxes several feet through a door.
``One of the paint booth pits had about 1,000 gallons of water in it,'' Bennett said.
It took Bennett's swimming pool pump, combined with a bucket crew and a water vacuum, to get the water out of the pit.
About 6:45 a.m., a truck driven by Alfred Childress, 56, of Lynchburg turned the corner from Plantation Road onto Liberty Road, according to a police report. It turned too sharply, however, and a tire hit a fire hydrant and a utility pole.
Roanoke Police Lt. R.A. Bowers said Childress told officers he did not know he had hit anything until a motorist who was following him stopped him and described the damage.
Police cited Childress for failure to maintain proper control of his vehicle, a misdemeanor.
The utility pole provided power only to the traffic light and quickly was repaired.
Michelle Bono, spokeswoman for the city, said the fire hydrant break was reported at 6:55 a.m., and city crew members had it capped within 20 minutes.
``We estimate we lost between 200,000 and 250,000 gallons of water,'' Bono said.
It will cost $1,200-$1,500 just to replace the hydrant, which Bono said must have been installed before 1965. All hydrants installed since then automatically cut off the water supply when damaged.
Bono said the trucking company's insurance would cover the costs.
Bennett said he expects compensation, too. He has photos showing computers sitting in water, water marks nearly 18 inches high on the back of the building and standing water in the carpeted area.
Bennett spent $300 Friday for a dehumidifier to help dry out the office. He said the computer repairman used a heat gun - normally used to seal pinstripes on vehicles - to dry out the equipment.
Drainage has been a continual problem in the area. Bennett said he had complained to city engineers last fall, but nothing was done. A six-inch-high macadam ``dam'' he made behind his shop lay in pieces after Friday's accident.
Carol Fuller, co-owner of Snappy Foodmarts at 617 Liberty Road N.E., said she heard the truck hit the pole and hydrant.
``It sounded like someone had slammed a car door real hard,'' Fuller said.
But her store was spared any damage. Water flowed around the two-inch-high front walk and ran off to the back of Precision Auto Body.
``Everything comes in Jack's back door,'' Bennett said, referring to the drainage problem.
It's the front door that worries Lee Roy Webber, owner of Imperial Floor and Tile Co. at 2501 Plantation Rd. He spent the morning mopping up water rolling in off his parking lot from the hydrant. Water is common in his showroom every time there is a hard rain, he said.
He, too, has called city engineers about drainage problems, but has received little response. He said the city put in a gutter to redirect water, but it failed.
``Friday's a disaster day anyway,'' Bennett said. ''We didn't need this.''
by CNB