🌅 How Quickly Texas Flooded

SOURCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

WHAT TO KNOW

• Devastating floods swept through Texas Hill Country on July 4, killing more than 100 people across a region known as “Flash Flood Alley.” The flooding began after a heavy downpour caused the Guadalupe River to rise 20 feet in just three hours, pushing its flow rate from a wadable 10 cubic feet per second to a devastating 120,000 cubic feet per second.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Deadly flash floods aren’t new to the Lone Star State: A study by researchers at The University of Texas at San Antonio found 1,069 people died in floods in Texas from 1959 to 2019, by far the most in the nation (the next closest was Louisiana with 693). Many of the deaths happened in the aforementioned Flash Flood Alley, where the hills are steep and the semi-arid soil allows water to move quickly when it floods.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• The researchers also found most flood deaths involve a vehicle (58%) and the vast majority of deaths happen after the person deliberately drives or walks into floodwaters (86%), indicating most people don’t understand or appreciate the potential danger of fast-moving water. Safety recommendations show it takes only two feet of water to sweep a car off the road, and once the car begins to float, the water has control of the steering wheel, and the car can easily flip or tip onto its side.