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Naval Station Crews Assist City of Rota After Violent Storm

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS081015-03
Release Date: 10/15/2008 12:39:00 AM

By Lt. Mike Morley, Naval Station Rota Public Affairs

ROTA, Spain (NNS) -- Naval Station Rota emergency responders assisted the local community after a massive thunderstorm pounded the area with more than 10 inches of rain and winds of more than 92 mph Oct. 11, downing trees and flooding intersections.

While the base only sustained minor damage, including sporadic power outages, emergency crews quickly realized that the more significant damage occurred in the local community outside the gate.

"We received a call from the City of Rota on Saturday morning, requesting assistance with areas that had flooded," said Rob Paulette, Naval Station Rota's Emergency Management director. "There were several flooded intersections and streets, homes with flooded basements and parking garages underneath apartment buildings. We immediately focused our efforts on dewatering."

The base sent 21 people from the fire department and public works, along with two pumper trucks and two fire engines, to assist in dewatering efforts. Working for about 30 hours throughout Saturday and Sunday, the crews dewatered more than 120,000 gallons of water from the basements and garages of American and Spanish residents.

"The damage was unbelievable. In the homes, there was three feet of standing water, and in the garages, there was about 10 feet. The cars were completely submerged," said the Military Division Officer for Rota's Public Works branch, Lt. j.g. Mike Hightower. "We provided two generator pumps and a pump truck, along with Seabees to run them. We were dewatering six basements and yards, then moved the truck and pumped out the parking garage underneath an apartment."

Five vehicles belonging to Americans stationed at Rota were completely flooded during the storm, with more than a dozen other residents reporting damage to furniture, clothing and appliances in basements.

No estimate of damages to Spanish-owned property was available.

For more news from Naval Station Rota, Spain, visit www.navy.mil/local/rota/.