MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The rain has stopped but the focus has turned to standing water and flooding in some parts of Memphis.
The Wolf River is causing flooding at a popular park in New Chicago, leaving kids without somewhere to go after school.
Cousins Reginald Baker, 10, and Shantoria Woods, 9, love to bike down to the New Chicago Park after school.
But them and other kids couldn’t even get to the courts Thursday since the water had swallowed them up.
“My mom said it’s more water and we can’t go to the park,” Woods said.
“It’s too flooded. Nobody can play out here right now,” 11-year-old Lee Turner said.
The heavy rain has had a clear impact on many.
“I was just trying to take the kids to the park, but it’s flooded out here. The kids can’t be out here in that,” New Chicago resident Jarvis Allen said.
WREG shot video of the park less than two weeks ago and it looked like a different place.
People in New Chicago say the flooding happens several times a year when it rains for more than a day.
“From right here it looks beautiful, but you know that’s not beautiful,” Betty Williams said.
Williams has lived near the park in New Chicago for 10 years.
“When the rain comes out here, there are snakes, ducks and turtles. That’s why they don’t let the kids out here,” Williams said. “The kids will run down and play in the water, and that water is not too clean. That’s a health concern right there.”
“It could affect our environment because it can get polluted a lot. Once we go down there we can get sick,” Baker said.
Reginald and his cousin said they’d have to find somewhere else to play, or maybe not play at all.
WREG contacted city officials to find out if there are any plans to help with flooding at New Chicago Park.
Communications staff said the Parks Department would respond soon.
We’ll let you know what they say.