BILLINGS — A weekend of steady rainfall created flooding problems across Billings, turning streets into streams and leaving at least one homeowner's property surrounded by water.
Stuart Shay, who lives on the corner of 17th Steet and Colton Boulevard, said he did everything he could to protect his home as water rose around his property.
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"I was trying to fix the spots where it could breach," Shay said Sunday afternoon. "I got to the point when I couldn't really do anymore so I just started taking photos and video."
Those images showed Shay's home effectively turned into an island, with water surrounding the property on all sides.
"I mean I was definitely concerned that I was going to have flood damage in my house," Shay said. "I've had issues before though, and when it started raining I knew it was going to be the kind of storm that was going to turn into a situation."
The damage to Shay's home ended up being limited to his crawl space. Shay said if the rain hadn't stopped when it did, it would've been worse.
"If it had stormed like it was for another, I would guess maybe 15 minutes, I would've had water coming in that door," Shay said. "The only reason my house didn't flood is because the ran stopped."
Streets across the city were also heavily impacted. Hardin resident Anna Bellrock captured video while driving on 24th Street on Saturday, where floodwater had overtaken the roadway causing vehicles to stall out.
"It was just like a river going down the road," Bellrock said Sunday afternoon. "I just could not believe how much rain there was and quick."
Bellrock said she noticed flooding and high puddles across the city, but that 24th street was the most significant.
"To see it just completely flooded, I mean there was a car that was just stalled out," Bellrock said.
Despite the chaos, Bellrock said she was grateful for the rainfall after a dry stretch of months.
"We were pretty shocked, but I felt like it was an answered prayer too," Bellrock said.
Shay agreed with Bellrock, admitting that he wouldn't have been disappointed if the rain came a little slower.
"I appreciate that we got moisture especially as dry as it's been," Shay said. "I would've been real happy to see it spread out across a whole day."
