With the help of the El Niño, multiple winter storm cells have dropped rain in the Valley for multiple days — and that rain water has to go somewhere.
Steve Waters with Maricopa County Flood Control said more recent cities outside of Phoenix have improved infrastructure to protect against flooding. He said more he’s concerned for the cities that grew before proper flood management was instituted.
“Where we’ve had new development in places like Gilbert and Peoria, they’ve planned for this, and they’ve done a better job than we did in the old days of mitigating flood problems," said Waters. "So really, the areas that are most susceptible are those older areas on the outskirts of the city.”
Waters said it’s unlikely we will see destructive flooding, but the Maricopa County Flood Control is working with state utilities to make sure they’re ready to protect the county from any potential floods.