Texas floods worst in 50 years, officials say

AUSTIN, Texas — As rain continued to soak much of Texas on Thursday, emergency officials said the state is experiencing its most extensive flooding since 1957.

That was the last time that Texas' five major river basins were at flood stage. When that happens, even one or two inches of rain can cause flooding.

Thirteen people have died in Texas because of this summer's storms, according to unofficial state reports. Five others are missing. And more rain is expected today.

"It's been an unprecedented rain event in Texas for this time of year," said Jack Colley, chief of the Governor's Division of Emergency Management. "Mostly this time of year we're fighting wildfires, we're not fighting floods."

Colley characterized the disaster response so far as the state's largest-ever search and rescue effort for a flood. State and local officials have been working with organizations such as the American Red Cross to evacuate people, clear roads, and provide food, water and shelter.

Since the rains began 44 days ago, at least 50 counties — from the Oklahoma border through Central Texas to the Rio Grande Valley — have experienced flood damage. By comparison, Hurricane Rita affected 22 counties in 2005, officials said.

Gov. Rick Perry has requested federal disaster declaration for six counties, including Burnet. President Bush has already declared federal disasters in Cooke, Coryell, Denton, Grayson, Lampasas and Tarrant counties.

"It takes such a little amount of rainfall now to really aggravate the problem," said Troy Kimmel, an Austin radio meteorologist and a weather and climate lecturer at the University of Texas. "In the past, an inch or two of rain you were able to take. But you really don't want it today — it's going to cause some major problems."

Nearly 1,000 homes have been substantially damaged or destroyed in the 11 hardest-hit counties, officials said. Colley said overall damage has not been assessed. But Jerry Johns, president of the Southwestern Insurance Information Service, estimated that damage to homes and businesses will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Damage to state roads in Burnet County alone is estimated at $30 million, said Steve McCraw, director of the governor's Office of Homeland Security.

Perry has activated more than 250 soldiers and 71 high-profile vehicles to help with the disaster, officials said. Helicopters and rescue boats from Texas Military Forces and state agencies are also ready.

"Rather than celebrating Independence Day at backyard barbecues with families and friends, many Texans spent the Fourth of July holiday battling the dangerous weather events that continue to impact their communities," Perry said in a statement. "We will continue to help local communities respond to emergencies and recover from the heavy storms and rains that have saturated a large part of our state, and we will make sure the necessary resources are in place if the situation worsens."

Thursday morning, in the state's underground emergency operations center in Austin, Colley and McCraw shared updated weather and disaster relief information via conference call to 328 people across the state, including county judges, river authorities and representatives of organizations such as the Salvation Army. They were joined in the operations center by representatives of state agencies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Also participating in the conference call were private companies such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot. State emergency officials learned during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita the importance of incorporating the private sector into disaster response, McCraw said. That's because private companies have experience storing and distributing goods, so they can be used in disasters to help distribute food, water, ice and fuel, he said.

Next week, the storm system — which Kimmel said has been caused primarily by a low pressure area trapped between two high pressure areas — will weaken considerably, said National Weather Service forecaster Constantine Pashos. That means residents in North and Central Texas will begin to see summer-like weather for the first time in a long time, with highs in the 90s and decreased chances of rain. Pashos said floodwaters should slowly begin to recede next week.

Most of Central Texas is under a flash flood watch until at least noon today, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, emergency responders and volunteers are continuing to connect flood victims with food and shelter in an affected area that is roughly the size of Mississippi. Texas has more than 11,000 rivers and streams, including 13 major rivers. It has 212 reservoirs and 166 lakes.

"Texas," Colley said he always tells people, "is not Rhode Island."

Corrie MacLaggan writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: cmaclaggan AT statesman.com. Additional information from staff writers Patrick George and Miguel Liscano.