Water flooded into four houses on the city's west side Tuesday morning, and a sinkhole opened in front of one of the homes, residents said.
The incident occurred in the 500 block of South Elmendorf.
A water main in the middle of the street opened up before 4 a.m. and before residents realized what was going on mud was flowing from their yards into their homes.
“I thought it was rain. It was raining and then when I looked outside it was like six inches right there you can tell,” said homeowner Christina Calderon.
One homeowner said even at noon they had so much water coming in that water was still flowing out of the foundation at the back of the house.
"It was all flooded under the foundation," said homeowner Leo Salas. "Water went all the way to the edge of the house here and into the bedroom in this corner."
Angry residents said it isn't the first time something like this has happened in their neighborhood. They said their street was flooded a couple of years ago. Back then they said they were told it was an act of nature, and they weren't covered.
Some homeowners said they believe the street is too high. They want curbs installed to keep the water from flowing into their homes again.
SAWS says one of the problems was that the valve that shuts off the water to the main had been paved over. That caused huge delays in stopping the flow, causing more damage to area homes.
They sent in a claims adjuster and called in crews to help with the clean up. But homeowners are saying that, though they are grateful for the help, they are still worried about foundation damage and the possibility of mold and contamination.
One homeowner said that her baby's room was flooded out and she’s worried it may not be safe for her baby to sleep in. Rosie Garcia says her family will have to find a place to stay overnight as they work on getting the mud out of their house.
SAWS said the main was an 8-inch cast iron pipe that gave way.
