Jewel Woods neighborhood sees rushing floodwaters

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Not even two years after the historic flood of 2016, Jewel Woods neighbors are seeing floodwaters rise above their knees again.

None of the folks impacted by that flood like the sound of rain.

“Nervous, anxious, wondering is it going to stop raining? Is it going to keep going? How deep is it going to get? I don’t think it will be like 2016, but still it keeps you up," said Sam Patterson, who lives on Jewel Avenue.

Patterson says the water started rising over Jewel Avenue around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and has just gotten faster and wider.

Unfortunately, Sam isn't new to this.

“We had just purchased our home, had it about a week, ended up with about four and a half foot of water in the front yard, about eight foot in the back, basement flooded completely up to my first floor floor joist, so it was a rude awakening," he said.

This year, three-year Jewel Woods veteran Jeff Thibault's travel isn't crippled by the creek. 

He rides his bike right across the near foot of floodwaters.

“As you can see the devastation, a lot of water. Probably three inches of rain is what they’re calling for. I think we got every bit of that," said Thibault.

Jeff and Sam say they know the problem.

“This is all from the ditch, so the ditch cannot handle this amount of water when it’s in significant amounts," said Patterson.

But, they're pleading for the experts to find a solution.