Storms, Floods Leaving Mark On Texas State Parks
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
NORTH TEXAS (1080 KRLD) - About half of the Texas State Park system has been impacted by severe weather and flooding over the past month.
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, more than 50 parks are partially closed due to severe weather damage and 16 parks are completely off limits as crews work to clean up flood debris and wait for the water to recede.
With peak visitation season approaching and mother nature not cooperating, the parks may have to turn people away. But park officials are doing all they can to keep the parks open to the public. Spokesman Steve Lightfoot says they can only move as fast as weather allows.
"We are doing what we can to access the damages, clear debris and try to keep as many parks open to the public - we just need to weather to cooperate," says Lightfoot. "Our folks are very good at cleaning up after events like this, we just need the time."
"The safety of our staff and our visitors is our top priority right now," says Brent Leisure, TPWD State Parks Division director. "Many of our parks remain operational and as conditions permit, we will be bringing our other sites back on line. Much of the damage is flood related debris and that takes time to clear. We're heading into our peak visitation period and have all hands on deck to make our parks safe and enjoyable again."
You can find out which parks are open by checking the state parks website, contacting the Texas State Parks customer service center at 512-389-8900 or by contacting the park directly.
Online: Texas State Parks status report
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
