Texas activates emergency operations for potential historic rainfall
Texas activates emergency operations for flood threat
Texas state officials and local first responders are pre-positioning emergency resources and preparing for potential heavy flash flooding as a cold front approaches the drought-stricken region, which could bring up to 20 inches of rainfall if it stalls.
North Texas has been waiting months for rain, but now the state is preparing for the possibility of us getting too much of it too fast.
Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the state about possible flooding this week.
Texas prepares for up to 20 inches of rain
What we know:
By Wednesday, the severe weather threat is expected to stretch from the Red River through North Texas and into Central Texas. The big question for the state right now is if that cold front will keep moving, or stop.
"If it does stall. We would expect very heavy rain, as in at least 10, maybe up to 20in of rain. It’s impossible to predict if it will, or it won’t stall," Abbott said.
The state isn’t waiting to find out. Abbott says 1,900 responders and more than 1,500 pieces of equipment have already been deployed, including high water vehicles, search and rescue boats and helicopters.
The National Guard is also activating more than 100 personnel with another 400 on standby.
Fort Worth Swift Water Rescue Teams
What they're saying:
The preparation extends all the way to what’s on the fire trucks.
"We check our rope bags and make sure we’ve got an ample amount of rope. We’ve got some dive stations here in Fort Worth as well as other fire departments throughout North Texas. Those dive teams, they’re making sure that all their boats and watercraft and everything are running perfectly," said Craig Trojacek, Fort Worth PIO.
Every Fort Worth firefighter has some water rescue training, but the two stations that specialize in swift water rescue have been placed at different ends of the city, so there’s no need to move teams ahead of the storm.
"So we don’t necessarily pre-plant them because, like I said, they kind of already have the city divided, I guess you could say. And then once that rain comes in, it’s just a matter of where we’re going to send them," Trojacek said.
Some Fort Worth firefighters have already been sent outside of the city as part of the state’s response.
"We do have some of our members that are already from the state, not within the city of Fort Worth, but they’re all out there staging for these floodwaters and stuff that are expected to come," Trojacek said.
High flash flood risk
Dig deeper:
In Arlington, the crews say they’ve been preparing long before this forecast.
"We really don’t have any extra preparations. This is just a normal event for us this time. Prepared for any kind of emergency, 24/7, 365. The guys here are more than prepared. They check out their boats daily, not just for an event coming up. This stuff that we prepare for every day," said Juan Mata, Arlington Fire PIO.
Fire crews say the problem is people underestimate the rain and how quickly things can change, saying six inches of water can make a car lose control and a foot can make a vehicle float.
"So everyone’s aware that the ground is dry, so it’s not going to absorb as much water as we think it is. Most of it’s going to end up in runoff, which is going to increase flash flooding. Most of the metroplex already covered in concrete, so that’s another reason why we’re going to have some flash flooding," Mata said.
What you can do:
Crews are asking that everyone be as careful as they can.
"We are there to try to make those rescues absolutely, but there are times you know if we don’t have to jump in, and we don’t have to go put ourselves in danger, we’ve got families and stuff that we want to get back home to as well," Trojacek said.
The state’s Emergency Operation Center will begin 24-hour operations starting tomorrow.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Vania Castillo.