Owners Find Melrose Avenue Stores Flooded
Rain brings unwelcomed visitor to many Melrose Avenue shops
At least six inches of water has flooded several businesses along Melrose Avenue.
At least six inches of water has flooded several businesses along a stretch of Melrose Avenue on the south edge of Hollywood, according to some neighbors.
"I'm just worried about some of these businesses and what shocking results they're going to find. Most of them open up about 10 a.m.," said Peter Nichols, one of the founders of the Melrose Neighborhood Watch.
"Some of the stores got some pretty bad water damage. Our businesses are already struggling with economy."
"I ran down the street and saw that water had gotten into nearly all the businesses on the north side of Melrose between Gardner and Vista," said Nichols.
Nichols said a huge storm hit his area around 7 a.m. Damage was centered in a hilly section of Melrose that is about a mile east of the trendy shops that give Melrose Avenue an international cachet of hipness.
"It was a freak, freak rainstorm," he said. "I've lived in L.A. all of my life. I've never seen so much rain come down this fast. Luckily, my home is four feet off the ground -- but my garage is not."
Nichols said his garage sustained an inundation of about six to 10 inches of water.
"I immediately tired to find a pump to get the water out as soon as possible," he said.
