Heavy rains in February left many neighborhoods underwater for days in south Modesto – where many streets lack sidewalks and other basic infrastructure – as residents of some of the city’s most disadvantaged areas repeatedly grapple with safety issues after rainfall.
Showers drenched Modesto for the first half of February. Between Feb. 16 to 18, 1.67 inches fell across the city, and according to the National Weather Service, this could only be the beginning of a series of storms.
Water clogged roads, parking lots and curbs during the last storm. Older neighborhoods felt it first, including those in south Modesto, where outdated and under-maintained sewage services and narrow channels can’t handle surges. People living in these areas often report deeper disruptions than richer zones nearby.
South Modesto resident Cecilia Zamora lives near two schools, Bret Harte Elementary and Evelyn Hanshaw Middle schools. She often sees children arrive at school with soaking wet shoes, and navigating between cars in the soggy conditions. She noticed many students walk home alone or with friends, no matter the weather.
“I really do have a concern about the rain when it rains, especially with the children who are walking,” said Zamora in Spanish while attending a Sierra Vista promotora group meeting. “I see children going in the middle of the street among cars and there are drivers who aren’t being careful.”
Officials said floods have pushed city maintenance to its limit, with response efforts shifted toward urgency. City of Modesto Public Relations and Legislative Affairs Manager Sonya Severo said sorting emergencies comes first, including when water swamps busy roads. After that zones near schools where kids gather, along with flagged dangers, are prioritized, she said.
Still those in charge made clear, residents should reach out to the city immediately whenever sewage spills or flooding risks breaching homes, those cases come first amid weather-related responses. Severo said residents should note these issues when calling them into the city and supervisors will prioritize response.
While all of Modesto suffers from some flooding during storms, research shows the impacts often fall unevenly. An analysis by Headwaters Economics found that floods “both expose and reinforce inequities,” noting that families in poverty and other vulnerable groups are more likely to live in high-risk areas and suffer the most severe financial consequences.
The report adds that people with fewer resources before a disaster frequently face the worst long-term setbacks, including increased debt and housing instability, making recovery far more difficult.
South Modesto resident Maria Cateñera, who lives close to Crows Landing Road, has noticed the deteriorating infrastructure in her community. She said the narrow streets barely have space for cars going opposite directions, and lack sidewalks for pedestrians and lanes for bike riders. She gets nervous when heavy rain and flooding is added as well.
“It’s very scary, because here we don’t have places to use bicycles. There’s no space for that,” Cateñera said in Spanish. “That means these bikes as well as the kids are on the roads and, unfortunately, that means more accidents.”
In Modesto, those inequities are visible on the ground in south Modesto. Residents have reported school disruptions and difficulty accessing essential services as streets remain partially submerged long after storms blow over.
Zamora and Cateñera both raised alarm about public health, noting that the standing water is contaminated with oil, mud and other pollutants. Promotoras in south Modesto said the flooding can increase the risk of illness for children who walk through it or play in the puddles. Rainfall can also worsen potholes, adding yet another layer of hazard.
But what frustrates these women most, they said, is that despite calling the city, documenting the conditions, and raising concerns through community channels, nothing has changed.
Mireya Santibanez is the South Modesto Promotora organizer and a Behavioral Health Outreach Worker with Sierra Vista Child & Family Services. She said their reports of flooded conditions to both the city and the county continue to be met with inaction.
“Where does the money go? All the streets on that other side of this neighborhood are very nice,” she said in Spanish. “What is happening with our neighborhood? Why aren’t they bringing better infrastructure?”
Ximena Loeza is the bilingual communities reporter for The Modesto Focus, a project of the nonprofit Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. Contact her at ximena@cvlocaljournalism.org.