A water main broke along Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland, Monday during the snowstorm, causing havoc for a nearby neighborhood.
Water gushing out from under the thoroughfare started flooding down Elm Street, a side road. The quick-moving water pushed accumulating snow down the street – creating a dam.
That dam then redirected the flood into the basement of a home leaving 2-3 feet of water inside.
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"I was shocked to hear a loud bang, and I think it was the garage door caving in, and, basically, I went downstairs," Jim Roy, the homeowner, said. "I didn't know what I was gonna find, and just water streaming through the closed door out into the garage."
Roy said once he was outside, he could see the water filling up from the bottom of his driveway. His neighbors next door helped him shovel out some of the snow to keep the water away from his property.
"I was not ready for this. This is not what I had in mind today," Roy said.
Roy said Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) crews would help with pumping and mitigation.
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WSSC shut off the water and is identifying underground utilities before digging up the pipe. Repairs, which typically take 4-6 hours after the pipe is dug up, could take longer because of the snow, the utility said.
Crews at the scene said there was some concern that portions of Wisconsin Avenue could sink because of the main break.
WSSC said it does not know what caused the break, which is affecting six customers, including an apartment building.
