A thatch cover over the soil helps slow the water down but good water infiltration really depends on good soil structure….. which takes some time. You need the soil to form aggregates and create pore space between those aggregates……which allows water to then infiltrate through those pore spaces and down into the soil. The presence of worms and worm tunnels also greatly improve water infiltration as well as tunnels left behind by plants like diakon radishes. Keeping the structure intact is important in times like these.