More than half a dozen homeowners in Orange County are dealing with rainwater after a storm. Vikki Vargas reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016.
Six homes were flooded in Santa Ana after a series of storms pounded SoCal Wednesday, leaving residents scrambling to get pets to higher ground.
The six homes, with three on McFadden Street, were flooded due to clogged drains, officials said.
Witnesses said the force of the water was so strong it literally lifted the garage door of one of the homes, allowing the rain to seep inside and ruin what was there.
There was about 8 inches to 3 feet of standing water at different homes in the area following the storms.
"I saw the cars slowing down and the water was just rushing in," Jenna Sears, resident, said. "So I ran in the backyard, and it was rising fast."
Other residents were concerned because they didn't realize that flooding would be an issue.
"I didn't even get a flash flood warning," Saul Deanda, resident, said. "I never really thought it would be this bad. I've never seen it rain this bad."
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Firefighters spent hours pumping out the watery mess.
"Santa Ana is built on a slant. This is just one of the low areas of the city. Historically when they're have been rains here, this is one of the problem areas for flooding," Larry Kurtz, OC Fire Authority, said.
Fire officials also said they planned to bring k-rails. A permanent solution has not been discussed because officials hadn't seen rain like Wednesday's storm in a long while.
