Extreme Weather Makes Old Storm Drains Lethal

ProPublica looks at the growing problem and possible remedies
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 18, 2021 2:20 PM CST
As Floods Increase, So Do Deaths From Storm Drains
Culvert overflow after heavy rain.   (Getty/greenseas)

It's the type of problem a city often doesn't act upon until after tragedy strikes, and ProPublica reports that the odds of such events are on the rise. The issue is people getting sucked into storm drains—think culverts or large pipes—during flooding. Using news accounts and court records, the outlet has identified at least 35 cases across the country since 2015, with most resulting in fatalities. In fact, it counts 13 deaths in the last three years alone. The figure is surely an undercount, writes Topher Sanders, because reports about flood deaths often skimp on details and simply say someone was swept away. He adds that the problem is becoming more pronounced because, generally speaking, extreme rain events are more common than in the days when these drainage systems were designed.

"It’s a hidden danger in nearly every community," says Ken MacKenzie of Denver’s Mile High Flood District, which advocates for protective fixes. "And yes, it might cost a couple thousand dollars, but it’s worth it to not kill someone’s child in a culvert.” Once flooding arrives, the risk can indeed be hidden from view. In New Jersey in September, Dhanush Reddy and his fiancee, Kavya Mandli, were walking through floodwater when they were overwhelmed by a powerful drainage vacuum. "It just sucked us inside," recalls Mandli. While she was able to grab hold of a bridge railing and survived, Reddy was sucked into a 3-foot-wide drainage pipe and drowned. (Read the full story, which notes that possible remedies include the installation of grates—but of the angled variety, so people don't get pinned against them.)

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