Storm Brings Floods to Fort Worth and North Texas

by in News, USA

Rainstorms during the morning and afternoon of Monday 13 April 2015 resulted in flash floods in Fort Worth and other areas of north Texas.

The National Weather Service issued a Flood Advisory for Tarrant, Denton, Cooke and Wise counties yesterday.

Local fire department say they carried out 9 flood rescues. Flooding caused chaos for traffic and images on social media show cars in flood water around 1 metre deep. Numerous roads were closed as a result of the flooding, including areas of Arlington Heights, a neighbourhood of the city familiar with flood problems.

Floods in Fort Worth, April 2015. Photo: Fort Worth Police Department
Floods in Fort Worth, April 2015. Photo: Fort Worth Police Department, who urged drivers to use caution in flooded areas

Fortunately, no casualties have been reported and the flood water soon receded, leaving only a few isolated areas still under water.

NOAA say that 1.08 inches (27.5 mm) of rain fell in 24 hours was recorded at Fort Worth on 13 April 2015.

Rainfall totals for Fort Worth and parts of Texas, 13 April 2015. Image: NOAA
Rainfall totals for Fort Worth and parts of Texas, 13 April 2015. Image: NOAA

Areas of Fort Worth, in particular Arlington heights, experience flooding from storms on a fairly regular basis. Residents may simply have to live with the problem however, since the cost of prevention could prove too high.

Talking to local newspaper Star Telegram, Greg Simmons, Fort Worth’s assistant director of transportation and public works, said that “fixing the problem throughout the city is also out of reach”: Fort Worth’s “critical” storm-water needs are between $250 million and $400 million, Simmons said. The total cost of Fort Worth’s storm-water needs is over $1 billion.

North Texas Floods

Some minor flooding was also reported in Dallas, Denton, Gainesville, Plano and Allen. In Seagraves , local emergency services said they carried out the rescue of several drivers whose cars stalled in flooded roads.