Austin – Central Texas lies in an area with a greater threat to floods than anything else in the country – wins the title “Flash Flood Alley”.
The risk of flooding begins in the spring, where sharp thunderstorms become more likely. These storms can produce large cold, harmful winds, and even hurricanes, as well as a lot of rain that the Earth cannot always absorb.
Our soil is rich in mud. The clay soil carries water and nutrients tightly. Thus, they have a higher capacity of water and nutrients, but to reduce sanitation, which leads to the movement of water slower and potential water blood.
Although this may not seem to look at the past few months of rain -free weather, this area is subject to very intense rain that also contributes to the main floods in our region.
To achieve this end, the rain sometimes comes down in a hurry, or rain trains over an area. Think about the train path where trains pass through the same area again and again. When the shower and thunderstorms are trained on an area, we are talking about the water that moves in the same area. The higher the rain, the greater the threat of the flood. Floods are often associated with thunderstorm cells that move again and again in the same area.
The worst floods of Austin
One of the worst Austin floods occurred in July 1869. History recorded the summit of the Colorado River at a height of 51 feet in the capital. Put this in the correct perspective, the normal flooding stage of the river is 12 ‘. A simple flood occurs with the river stage up to 23 ‘. In 25 ‘, moderate floods occur. There is a large flood that occurs when the flood reaches 28 ‘. In 51 ‘, the floods are enormous, which leads to widespread damage to the city.
In the direction of the Austin, the peaks were much higher, including 60.3 feet in Bastrop and 56.7 feet in La Grange. The damage was estimated at $ 3 million, according to the Austin Water Center for Environmental Research.
What made this flood very noticeable is that it happened during the traditional one of the most dry months of the year.
Most of the local population will indicate the flood of anniversary in 1981 as another “worst flood” event. This was the day that Shawwal Kreik increased, which led to 13 deaths and lost nearly 20 families of their homes. Many companies were destroyed. The total damage in 1981 was $ 36 million.
Another memorial day occurred in 2015. This also affected Shawwal Kreik.
One of the companies along, the Shoal Creek water. The owner Ray Kanfield recalls that although the Business Corporation has a plan for floods, up to 50 to 55 inches of water accumulated on one side of the building. He says that many precautions have been taken to relieve floods. But water is power.
However, after all the floods, the company was able to reopen within five days.
After this flood event, Canfield and its works were honored, along with the city of Austin, with the Lone Emmy star in the public service advertisement category. Kanfield said PSA focused on preparing for commercial disasters.
The birth of the few
After the flood of anniversary in 1981, Austin needed a better way to deal with heavy rain and floods. Shoal Creek’s flood sent out of her banks. Thirteen people lost their lives in this flood. There was a better way for early detection of floods.
The early warning season or colon was born. This is an agency run by the Austin City Protection Department.
Meteorological doctor Scott Brenson is the director of the program for the background. The colon monitors the weather throughout the year, using the weather models similar to the meteorological experts who use hydrological models. radar It is one of its biggest forms, and they are constantly watching to find out where the heavy rain falls, the direction it turns to, and whether the storms will decrease or increase the area and density or not.
The colon added cameras and gates in some sites that are worse than others. This technology has been added, according to PRINSEN, over the past few years as it has been identified when the most exposed areas of floods are.
He says that the worst areas exposed to floods are along the Spicewood Springs near Loop 360, where heavy rain that causes floods to Bull Creek will reduce.
The gates decrease when a large amount of water causes low water crossings. In the actual time, information is available to everyone who also wants to monitor where the floods can occur, or where the roads are closed, Atxfloods.com.
It is important to understand that floods are the most dangerous weather in Austin and central Texas, according to the risk alleviation plan in Austin.
More than half of the deaths caused by the floods are caused by people who walk in the barriers or lead them to the way to immerse water. It takes only six inches of fast -moving flood water to hit an adult, and it takes only 12 inches of running water to float most vehicles.
Since most of the flood deaths are preventable, the slogan “rotation, do not drown” was created in 2004 by Hectoro Geriro National.
Finally, what should you do in the event of a flood?
Moving forward in that second advice, it is important to know that if you are forced to evacuate your homeland, you have your emergency leaves. We refer to papers such as birth certificates, passports, driver licenses and social security cards.