The Vinoy is a really nice waterfront hotel in downtown St. Petersburg, and last night one of its parking garages wanted to play, too.
On Thursday evening, heavy rain led to a flood in the hotel’s valet parking garage. BN9 said that three feet of water entered the space and didn’t drain, leading hotel officials to use pumps to get the water out.
A video, taken from the garage early Friday morning, shows crews still working to move the water out of the garage. The news station said that dozens of cars could be ruined.
The amount of water that enters a car is important when thinking about potential damage, but most car people agree that vehicles subject to major flooding can lead to trouble with the engine, electrical system and air bags. Even when a car is not totaled after water damage, minor flooding can still lead to other issues like rust and mold.
“Vinoy is helping guests with damaged cars or cars that are still stuck in the garage,” the station wrote. “However, some are stranded right now.”
VINOY FLOODING Popular downtown St. Pete hotel valet garage flooded due to heavy rain yesterday. Crews still pumping the garage out. Dozens of cars swamped and some likely totaled. The latest today @BN9 pic.twitter.com/f6E7XGqqjf
— Jason Lanning (@Jason_Lanning) August 2, 2019
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This article appears in Aug 1-8, 2019.