WASHINGTON — A popular Northeast D.C. pet hotel is demanding a solution after floodwaters damaged the business for the third time a month.
Floodwaters surrounded District Dogs, along the 600 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE, around 4 pm Wednesday afternoon.
Rainwater, which collected in an underpass nearby, got up to three feet near the business.
District Dogs owner Jacob Hensley said the flooding got so bad that employees inside the building had trouble getting out during the storm.
"We had an employee that had a medical emergency,” he said. “She's at the hospital now, but she wasn't able to leave because the doors couldn't be opened because of the water wall."
The pet hotel scrambled to get its 50 dogs to safety from the floodwater. Luckily, no dogs were hurt.
"Incredibly frustrated to walk in here,” Hensley said. “A little embarrassed to see my staff. My staff shouldn't have to clean up this mess."
Just last Friday, floodwaters intruded into District Dogs, as well, causing damage.
Hensley said another flood scenario had damaged the business earlier in July.
He said it is time for D.C. leaders to address the problem.
“I haven't been told anything more than what I already know, which is that there's a tunnel that will come online next year,” said Hensley regarding the District’s work.
Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie said he is frustrated by the frequent flooding along Rhode Island Avenue Northeast. He said it is a problem D.C. Water’s Clean Rivers Project was supposed to address.
The utility company’s ongoing program works to limit sewer overflows into the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.
“There’s billions of dollars being invested in the Clean Rivers Project and this is something that I fought for years ago to address, the 100-year-old combined storm sewer system problems that have been contributing to so much of the flooding in Bloomingdale and Edgewood,” McDuffie said. “And yet, here we are today and we’re still experiencing problems.”
McDuffie said he plans to talk to impacted Northeast D.C. residents Thursday.
Some employees at District Dogs said they are planning a walk-out on Thursday afternoon around 2 p.m. to demand a safer workplace.