Trees, Water Mains Cause Havoc in Area

Water main break causes flooding in homes

Falling trees and water main breaks caused havoc in neighborhoods across the area Wednesday morning.

A large tree started to fall in the area of Ontario and Adams Mill roads in Adams Morgan.  One car seemed to be bracing the tree, or else it would have fallen on numerous other cars parked along the road.  Officials are trying to get people to move their cars out of the way in case the tree continues to collapse.

The wet weather could have caused another large tree to topple over in Potomac, Md., closing the intersection of Glen Mill Road and Glen Road.  That popular commuter route was closed for the morning rush.

Water, Water Everywhere in Adams Morgan

Besides the falling tree, a D.C. fire department official said a major water main break in Adams Morgan caused flooding in some area homes.

A 20-inch water main broke Wednesday morning at 17th Street and Florida Avenue in Northwest, D.C. fire department spokesman Ken Crosswhite said. The flooding caused the pavement to buckle and filled some basements in the area with 1 to 5 feet of water.

One D.C. emergency crew member said the flooding reminded him of the River Road water main break that saw several people rescued from their cars in December.
 
Crosswhite said there also were several gas leaks in the area.

Firefighters went door-to-door to check on residents. Homes and businesses in the Adams Morgan area initially experienced low water pressure, D.C. Water and Sewer Authority spokeswoman Pamela Mooring said. Service was mostly back to normal by 11:30 a.m.

Florida Avenue was closed for repairs between 16th and 18th streets as were Seton, California and V streets in the area, making a mess of traffic in the area. Florida Avenue remained closed between 17th and California streets Wednesday evening, as did the 1700 block of V Street. Repairs were expected to last for several more hours.

Repairs are expected to continue into late afternoon. Crews have not determined the cause.

Another water main break has been reported on South Dakota Avenue NE between 29th and 30th streets.
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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