Hazy memory

I was talking to a high school teacher last week about the weather. Talking about the weather in Arenillas isn't the most exciting subject, but it is something to talk about. It was a misty morning and a little chilly (By local standards, that is. I was still wearing a t-shirt.)

He had been watching the TV and saw something about flooding in the United States. (It's unclear when he was watching the news or what part of the United States was flooded.)

Professor: It floods all the time in the United States
Ian: No, only when it rains really hard, and the water doesn't drain well.
Professor: It never floods here.
Ian: Really?
Professor: Almost never.
Ian: Weren't there lots of floods last year?
Professor: Yes, they were really bad.
Ian: I think a lot of people had to leave their homes and live in schools for a few months.
Professor: I know. It happens like that almost every year.