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Nogales resident prepare for another year of monsoon, look back at 2017 monsoon

Posted at 4:25 PM, Jun 07, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-07 19:25:43-04

In 2017, water from the Nogales Wash flowed at a rapid rate and forced streets to close and damaged homes. 

Manuel Valderrama has a direct view of the wash from his backyard. He says he's seen everything from trees to refrigerators flow down the wash during monsoon. 

This year will be his 20th year preparing for monsoon and says even though the water has never breached his home, he still prepares by stacking up on food, water and has a battery-powered radio to be able to listen to the news. 

Last year, heavy monsoon flooding damaged an international pipeline resulting in raw sewage flowing through the Nogales Wash. 

It forced Governor Ducey to issue a state of emergency and send the National Guard to control the situation. 

Traces of E.coli was found in that sewage, prompting officials to urge people to stay out of the Santa Cruz River. 

After so many years living in his home, Valderrama says nerves rarely come into play anymore. He'll be taking the proper precautions in case the worst happens, but you can bet he'll be watching it all unfold from his backyard.


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