A farm stands in floodwaters from the Santa Cruz River in Marana, where about 80 homes were evacuated following overnight storms. The Monday storm brought about 1.10 inches of rain to Marana Regional Airport and caused the most severe flooding in the area in more than 20 years.

Jeffry Scott / Arizona Daily Star

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Marana officials worked Tuesday to document damage to roads and bridges as well as homes, businesses and farmland caused by severe flooding that followed a powerful overnight storm Monday.

The town will work with Pima County to determine if the damage will qualify for state or federal aid and if funds are even available, said Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat.

After days of sustained rain and a storm early Monday, rising floodwater forced the evacuation of 80 families for several hours Monday and led to the closure of all Northwest Side bridges across the Santa Cruz River.

The Monday storm deposited 1.10 inches of rain at Marana Regional Airport and caused widespread flooding and road closures throughout Tucson.

It was the most severe flood on the Northwest Side in more than 20 years.

"There was a record level of water in the Santa Cruz today that exceeded the 1983 flood," Marana Mayor Ed Honea said Monday before declaring an emergency in the town due to the damage caused by the flood.

Two houses in the northwest Marana neighborhood of Berry Acres were damaged, Reuwsaat said. The town evacuated the flood-prone neighborhood Monday morning, and no injuries were reported.

Town officials told the residents they could return later that night.

Runoff from the Tortolita Mountains in north Marana joined with rising water in the Santa Cruz River and caused an estimated $300,000 to $500,000 worth of damage to an agricultural field, Reuwsaat said.

Some evacuees took refuge at Marana Middle School, 11279 W. Grier Road, where the Red Cross had set up a temporary shelter.

In the morning, Edward E. Gonzalez, 64, was told by a police officer he needed to leave his property on West Grier Road. Still, he wasn't worried about his home and didn't mind spending time at the shelter.

"When they give me the OK, I'll just go home," he said.

Others were stranded at the shelter because of the closed bridges across the Santa Cruz.

Most bridges had been reopened by Tuesday, with the exception of bridges at Ina Road and Trico-Marana Road. The Ina Road bridge was to remain closed until a structural engineer determined it would be safe for traffic, Marana spokeswoman Jessica Ziegler said Tuesday.

David and Susan Ray, both 61, took a shuttle to the Marana Senior Center, 13250 N. Lon Adams Road, but were unable to return home because of the closure of the Avra Valley Road bridge. The uncertainty of the situation made Susan Ray nervous at first.

"I have a doggy that's home alone," she said.

As time passed and they learned they would be able to return home that night, they relaxed. Gail Petersen accompanied the Rays on their trip to the senior center. She too was anxious about staying at the shelter at first: "We didn't know what was going to happen or how long we'd have to stay here."

Marana opened its Emergency Operations Center on Friday in anticipation of heavy rains so the town staff, Marana Police Department officers and Northwest Fire/Rescue District firefighters would be ready when needed.

In the 1983 flood, the farmland that has since become Continental Ranch and Gladden Farms was under water. Those areas didn't flood because bank-protection levees have since been built along the Santa Cruz River, town officials said.

For much of Monday, emergency personnel kept a close watch on neighborhoods in northern Continental Ranch in case water overflowed that bank protection, Ziegler said. Evacuation wasn't required in those neighborhoods.

Water poured into the Berry Acres neighborhood because it lies in an area past the town's flood-control measures.

Congressman Jim Kolbe visited the area Monday to find out the extent of the damage and see if it would need federal aid. He said he was unsure if the flooding would qualify for federal emergency funds.

"The bank protection that's worked so well needs to be extended" as Marana grows north toward Pinal County, Kolbe said.

The town will now determine whether it wants to extend the bank protection along the Santa Cruz past North Sanders Road, or try to purchase the property of those who live in the flood-prone neighborhoods.

In years past, the town had tried to obtain the properties at risk of flooding, but many residents were unwilling to sell, Town Manager Reuwsaat said.

Regardless, the town will take steps to minimize the extent of flood damage in the future, town spokeswoman Ziegler said.