The Trinity River, which flows through the center of Dallas from the west to the southeast, reached moderate flooding levels, peaking at nearly 39 feet according to the National Weather Service, receding into the normal range only around mid-day Wednesday. The storm drainage system for Dallas is not designed for weather events such as this and has been overwhelmed previously many times in less severe rains.Ī power outage resulted from the flooding covering over 36,000 buildings according to PowerOutage US.
Questions were raised on the possible role of construction contract companies working nearby that may have obstructed storm inlets during construction, and failed to remove them during the storm, causing the flooding to be worse, though the city denied this.
Benito Chavez, 61, told the Dallas News that “it was like a little Katrirna, right here,” referring to the 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans.Ĭhavez spent much of Tuesday removing belongings from his family’s home soaked by the deluge. These devastating storms, as the Washington Post wrote, all “stemmed from stationary fronts and anomalously-humid air masses.” These rare events have become normal as capitalist-induced climate change has created a warmer and wetter planet, on average, which has created a trend towards greater climate extremes.Īpartments and low-lying areas were flooded across the city, with Old East Dallas experiencing 4 feet or more of floodwater, with many houses being ruined by water damage. Louis, Missouri, on July 26, eastern Kentucky on July 27, eastern Illinois on August 1, and Death Valley, California on August 5 all experienced “thousand-year rain events” which is far from normal. The “thousand-year” designation means that the event has a 0.1 percent chance of happening per year, but with climate change this has been made much more likely. The Dallas Police Department reported 22 squad cars were damaged or completely destroyed by water. The flash flood followed months of extreme drought brought about by a record lack of rain-the city experienced a 67-day streak during which no measurable rain fell, the second longest streak in the city’s history-and unusually high temperatures which persisted until the deluge.ĭallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared a disaster on Monday requesting assistance from the federal and state governments.Īn unknown but presumably large number of cars were damaged by the floods with I-30 being blocked with floodwater. The amount of rain in Dallas exceeded the 6.53 inches of rain received in the preceding four months. Some parts of the city, according to AccuWeather, received in excess of 15 inches (38.1 cm) of rain. ĭFW International recorded a total of 9.19 inches (23.3 cm) of rain, the second heaviest 24-hour period rainfall on record, only surpassed by September 4-5, 1932 when 9.57 inches (24.3 cm) of rain fell. A car sits in flood waters covering a closed highway in Dallas, Monday, Aug.
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