Wild Cycle Of Drought & Floods In North Texas
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DALLAS (KRLD) - We came into spring on the tail of years of drought. Brown grass, burn bans and water restrictions. Then waves of thunderstorms rolled in. Record flooding, the second wettest spring in more than a century. The last time North Texas saw so much rain in such a short period of time, Dwight Eisenhower was President and gas was $0.24 a gallon.
"Welcome to weather in Texas."
Meteorologist Matt Stalley is with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. He says no amount of knowledge, research, or preparation can forecast that kind of sudden weather turnaround.
"It can happen at any time, so, it doesn't necessarily have to be once every 50 years, or once every decade, or anything like that. It could happen back-to-back years, or it could not happen for a hundred years."
So how can anyone be prepared for such a sudden and violent weather change?
"Yeah I don't know the answer to that question to be completely honest with you. We go from extreme drought for five years, to all of a sudden having an extreme flooding problem."
Nearly two-dozen people were killed across the state in spring storms and floods, which did more than $60 million in damage in North Texas. But Brigadier General Dave Hill, Southwest Division Commander for the Army Corps of Engineers, says things could have been a lot worse, if not for a chain of places people usually think of as recreational locations.
"Places like Grapevine and Lake Ray Roberts and Lewisville. They're primary purpose is for flood risk management and preventing damage when we have events like we saw in May and June."
Hill says managing the flow of area lakes and rivers kept flooding from doing a lot more damage. But there's damage enough... dramatic temperature changes combined with flooding to leave area roads wrecked.
"We have filled 35 percent more potholes than we did last year."
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says the city may have to raise taxes to pay for all the pothole repairs. Many homeowners, though, have to pay to repair flood damage out of their own pockets. Tom Lozanos lives along Duck Creek in Garland, where many homes were flooded.
"About two feet up with water damage. Furniture. Floors. I did not have insurance."
Lozanos, like many people, said he could have applied for FEMA assistance... but he thought it was too much of a hassle. Now, though, Meteorologist Matt Stalley says we're in for another spell of drought... maybe...
"It's just so hard to anticipate any kind of a weather pattern on a seasonal scale like that."
Meteorologist Matt Stalley is with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
Brigadier General Dave Hill is Commander of the Southwest Division of the Army Corps of Engineers.
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