Flooding Down in Texas...victim found

[octagon]

Got caught on wrong side of flooded river last nite with the kids and took shelter at the neighboring ranch. We stepped outside to check the rising water and heard, "HELP HELP HELP!!!.". Took spotlights down to the flooding river and saw a guy hanging on to a pecan tree in middle of a LOT of fast moving water, he had drove around the barricade . Drove back up to highway in 4:4and alerted the law who were there. When they showed up with rescue an hour later we shined spots on the man, but the rescue boat could not hang against the current. Another boat with more horses showed up in another hour and we cleared enough debris so they could launch. They got to him after he was in water for three hours and got him back to land after a few tries, long into hypothermia. His companion drowned much earlier before we heard his cries for help.
Rescue got another call as soon as they got that guy in, to help a family stuck on the roof. The big rescue truck with trailered boat was now stuck in mud, by the river, towed em out with my 7.3 diesel 4:4 and they left with the guy.
I got one hour sleep finally and drove my family across at 6:0o this am, after water receded. We are home now with no power, but dry and fed and going to bed. 13 inches of rain last nite on top of all previous rain this month. Be careful out there guys. Goodnight.

[Streetstar]

drove AROUND a barricade - and it cost someone their life --- i cant think of a more selfish thing to do (well i can ...but )

HEre in centrl Oklahoma- the News crews were stating that emergency personnel had performed over 75 water rescues yesterday and last night alone (most were probably just people trapped in swamped out cars in the middle of intersections, but still )

The slogan is "Turn around, dont drown" for a reason

[vancelw]

13"! What general area are you in, octagon? It just began here in NE Texas about 9.

I was going to wash my truck today, but can't find my snorkel.

[bdhold]

it's the Blanco that's flooding, about 30 mi from my house
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/curre ... y=basin_cd
the flooding was so bad there, the gage went offline
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/?s ... 0065,00060
So I'm guessing he's somewhere in central Texas
They got a 12-inch rain overnight, and the ground here has been saturated for a month.
http://www.intellicast.com/National/Pre ... region=sat

But Cibolo Creek very close to my house crested at 25' last night. It's an aquifer recharge creek, and normally a dry sendero with only a few persistent pools until it gets into the coastal plain east of San Antonio. It's already back down below the roads this morning.

[vancelw]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1bZ3O ... sp=sharing

Here is my driveway on May 9. In about 20 minutes I think I'll have a repeat. NO, I am not in a low spot. I've been in this house 20 years and never seen a torrential downpour like this, let alone two times in two weeks. I have ~35 acres and every square inch of it looked like this video for just under an hour on May 9th.

I've seen more dead squirrels on the road than ever before. Only thing I can figure is, the woods are so wet they can't smell to dig for acorns and hickory nuts, so they must be going to the roads to grab tiny frogs and toads to eat. We have zillions this years.

[octagon]

Word in town is now 3-4 dead with 7-8 folks missing. Flood is worse than the big ones in 1906 and 1952 not because of total rainfall but the short time span in which it occurred. The fella we helped would not have made it had we not happened to go outside and heard him yelling for help. It has been a long day.

[octagon]

Downstream, the river hit Wimberly and took out 300 + homes, displaced 1000-1200 folks. The river further downstream hit San Marcos and crested at 41 feet, going over I-35. National Guard is still rescuing folks I think. Yesterday was sunny and warm, today we are expecting rain and are in another flash flood watch. I am going to town this am with my chainsaw and try and help remove debris, not sure what else I can do. We in the Texas Hill Country have had enough rain.

[bdhold]

They're predicting another monsoon rain about 3pm today. A lot of moisture is blowing up from the Gulf this morning - clouds are moving fast.

[J35]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVjdMLAMbM0

---------J

[CowboyTutt]

Hey Guys, my prayers go out with you today. Truth is I'm home alone today and not feeling at all festive with what is going on in Texas and Oklahoma right now. And there are further tragedies throughout the world as well. Octagon and Vance, I don't remember every hearing about such incredible monsoons in America in my whole lifetime (48 now) and what you said makes me think that's because we haven't seen such flooding in a very, very long time.

Again, prayers for both of you, and the many families who have lost their homes and maybe even their lives or the lives of family members. I have family in Wichita, Kansas but the rain there is nothing like what is happening in Texas and Oklahoma.

Prayers sent

-Tutt

[gamekeeper]

Prayers sent for all those affected by the floods.

[octagon]

Andy and John, I appreciate those prayers, we'll take all we can get!
More rain and flooding today with a side order of tornados and multiple funnel clouds in my county. Folks are hesitant to start clean up operations till insurance guys show up to calculate the damage, many millions $ I expect. Rain is supposed to lighten up a few days and start again this weekend. Lake Travis in Austin is up 20 feet!

[J Miller]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1bZ3O ... sp=sharing

Here is my driveway on May 9. In about 20 minutes I think I'll have a repeat. NO, I am not in a low spot. I've been in this house 20 years and never seen a torrential downpour like this, let alone two times in two weeks. I have ~35 acres and every square inch of it looked like this video for just under an hour on May 9th.

I've seen more dead squirrels on the road than ever before. Only thing I can figure is, the woods are so wet they can't smell to dig for acorns and hickory nuts, so they must be going to the roads to grab tiny frogs and toads to eat. We have zillions this years.

Vance,

Perhaps some sand bags to divert that from the house would be in order. That's a lot of water coming through there. Ewwwyuck!

Oh, and some oil would sure help the squeak in the background

Joe

[bdhold]

we got some rain today, but nothing like they predicted, none of the central Texas rivers are blowing out bad now, but the all the big water is moving into the coastal plain.

I think Octagon and I are both pretty high and dry.
It is a certainty, this will happen again in 10 or 12 years.
The people I know who have lived a long time on the Guadalupe tailwater have cinderblock houses they hose out after the next flood. Some people build million dollar frame houses on their million dollar lots and they will eventually lose those houses.
All the ranch houses I know of built by old families long ago were built above the 2nd flood plain.

[vancelw]

Vance,

Perhaps some sand bags to divert that from the house would be in order. That's a lot of water coming through there. Ewwwyuck!

Oh, and some oil would sure help the squeak in the background

Joe

Probably would, Joe. But, by the time I could have put them out, the flood was long gone.
It will probably be another 30 years before it happens again. It was not rising water, it was water dumped right on top of us in less than a hour on extremely saturated ground. I went to check all my drainage ditches to make sure they weren't obstructed before the rain quit. I wish I had taken a camera, because it was an awesome sight on the south end of my property where there is finally enough change in elevation for it to start flowing good. Looked like mini Niagra Falls on land that is far, far away from any flood plain, whether it be 100 year or 500 year.

Our local lake was built in 1967 and I'm thinking it's going to flow over the emergency spillway for the first time, ever before this is over. We just got hit with another storm this afternoon.

[bdhold]

they still haven't opened the floodgates on Canyon dam. The tailrace is still holding at 120 cfs.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/?s ... 0065,00060
This was the water that went into the lake
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/?s ... 0065,00060
(the Guadalupe was at flood stage for 24 hours)
The lake was day down, has risen about 20', is still still going up (gage is out) but it's another 20' to the spillway. It's likely for them to let the Blanco flood recede below the confluence before they lower the lake. I'm sure they're capturing as much of this as they safely can.
Medina Lake was nearly dry and has gone up about 60' - should be a nice white bass run there next spring.

Just got a report this morning - they will control release from Canyon, 1500 cfs, beginning later today

[Griff]

Vance, at least your water is flowing... the wife sez at my place it's just sitting... waitin' for the water table to recede!

[Pete44ru]

.


My heart goes out to all effected by the flooding.

In 2010, my Son lost his job (he got another, 5 days later) when a 100-year flood took out the Ford Truck (only) dealership where he had worked for 25years. (flood waters, complete with sewage from a nearby sewer treatment plant, rose to 10' inside the building)

He is fortunate that, because he has a terrific personality & work ethic (4 sick days in 25 years), and knows the Ford parts system/computer inside-out, had long been courted by the owners of two other Ford dealerships to come & work for them.



.

[Grizz]

Prayers UP for all you'all. hope this ends the drought. it would blow if it is just a flash flood in the flood plane.

My Tx contingent in are reporting OK driving conditions for their routes. Working from home some though.

[vancelw]

Vance, at least your water is flowing... the wife sez at my place it's just sitting... waitin' for the water table to recede!

Even the crawdads are trying to get to high ground.

I lowered my flag to half-staff for the Memorial Day and then made a trip back out to the flagpole to raise it back....almost lost a boot.

Red River has closed some majors bridges already, but it's still not as high as it was in 1990....yet. More storms coming tonight.

[MrMurphy]

The Guadalupe is up 30 feet where we are.



One particularly dumb driver went around a barricade, the water wasn't so deep at that point but she lost sight of the road and put it in a deep ditch (also underwater) which was up to windshield level on a full size truck. Boat rescue.

[bdhold]

I was looking at the Victoria paper, and they're predicting the flood crest at 40' when it gets there.

OK draining into Red and Arkansas rivers is also going to be pretty bad. Their reservoirs are topping out quickly and releases in the tens-of-thousands cfs.

[octagon]

I guess you guys have heard about the flood on the news for some days now. It has been reported that we received more than 8 inches of rain in one hour that first night of the flood, and a friend who lives pretty close to the river said he measured over 13 inches in total that night, on top of ground that had been rained on for about three weeks.

I talked to the rancher that gave my family shelter that night, and the fella we helped rescue is doing ok, and cows have all been accounted for. The fella that was with the guy we helped has not been found by the rancher or the National guard who showed up the next day. Tomorrow three of us are going to search the field in the direction that the water took the victim. The ranchers wife said she thought she smelled something foul. We will help take tons of debris out of the field with our trailers and 4:4's. It rained like crazy last night with 50-60 mph winds, with water standing everywhere, the ground can't soak any more.

[bdhold]

Dallas got it this week and all of that will drain into SE Texas

[Griff]

Dallas got it this week and all of that will drain into SE Texas

And still getting it now. Supposed to taper off this afternoon here in the DFW area, then according to today's forecast, several days of solid sunshine, with temps in the 80s... so things should start to dry out... I'm hoping I can get my first cutting of my "natural pastures"...

[kragluver]

I live west of Fort Worth. Driving in yesterday morning I saw water flowing through pastures where I've never seen it before. We haven't had the single big 10"+ rain event that many have had - just nearly daily 1-2" for many days now.

[vancelw]

The sun came out one day last week. This was the most common sight around. (my neighbors)

mower stuck.jpg

My mower is a Bad Boy and weighs about 900 pounds. If I can get a week of no rain I may be able to mow the high ground. Maybe.
Need one of these.....

mower boat.jpg

Or you can just be like this guy (about a minute into the video)
Redneck Dream

[octagon]

Some folks found another victim, high up in a tree covered with buzzards. I did chainsaw work for a 90 yo lady all morning till the heat started to get to me. She had let her flood insurance lapse. Gave all the wood to a 5 member family in town who just have wood heat, they have a big kid that helped load it, he will help me again tomorrow. Will hydrate better and take more breaks, some of the trees are 14-18 in diameter.

[Griff]

Big ol' pot hole in our bridge washed out yesterday evening... culvert piping has shifted and created a gap the eventually has eroded the 3 foot of base rock over the culverts (6) that run under our road. Pot hole was about 1-½ ' in diameter, opening up to around 3-½ by 3-½ and about 40" deep. We just finished putting a patch to span the gap in the center culvert and will pour concrete up to the road surface tomorrow am. Then we'll have to trowel out the bottom of the gap in the culvert pipe and grout that from inside the pipe! Good thing one of the neighbors is a younger fellar willing to get muddy!!! Sure wish I could afford to have a completely new culvert built that would span the whole creek in one piece... This creek pretty much only runs during the rains...

[AJMD429]

Remember, this is ALL because of "Climate Change". . .

There have never been extreme floods or droughts or hurricanes or tornados or blizzards in all the recorded history until the Republicans illegitimately captured the presidency from the Inventor of the Internet and Global Warming Expert (...er, I mean 'Climate Change' Expert...).

[octagon]

Guys I believe that the fella that washed down the river from the vehicle my friend and I helped has been found way downstream. I am glad that this old man will be properly laid to rest and not left out in the hot sun forever. The rancher has young kids on that place that he would not like to stumble across the body this summer.
I have given thought to the victim this week and wondered about the whole scene, and did we do all we could to help. This old fella washed away some hours before we heard the drivers yells for help and was beyond our ability to help. RIP.

[bdhold]

last Friday they finally opened the flood gates to lower Canyon Lake on the Guadalupe
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/?s ... 0065,00060
current release is 4500 cfs and will make its way to Victoria, but will be insignificant compared to what has already been through there
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv/?s ... 0065,00060

Paul, you have much to be thankful for.

[Old Ironsights]

[gamekeeper]

Guys I believe that the fella that washed down the river from the vehicle my friend and I helped has been found way downstream. I am glad that this old man will be properly laid to rest and not left out in the hot sun forever. The rancher has young kids on that place that he would not like to stumble across the body this summer.
I have given thought to the victim this week and wondered about the whole scene, and did we do all we could to help. This old fella washed away some hours before we heard the drivers yells for help and was beyond our ability to help. RIP.

You did all you could and you did help save the other fellow, glad the old mans body was found and can be laid to rest, R.I.P.

[Ysabel Kid]

Prayers sent for all those affected by the floods.

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