Memorial Day Flood in Austin 2015

Discussion in 'West Mall' started by accuratehorn, May 25, 2015.

  1. accuratehorn

    accuratehorn 10,000+ Posts

    4.5" at my house this afternoon already, Shoal Creek flooding, Bull Creek flooding, Williamson Creek flooding, Little Walnut Creek out of its banks, Lamar Boulevard under water at 12th and 45th Streets, Lady Bird Lake out of its banks, dumpsters floating down Lamar Blvd.
    Stay safe Hornfans, stay indoors for a few hours. This is not good.
    Flood gates are open on various Highland Lake dams. Marble Falls, Tom Miller dams, etc.
    Zilker Park is a lake.
    Cars are under water, and multiple swift water rescues are happening right now. But this storm is about to move out towards the east, thankfully.
     
  2. Crockett

    Crockett 5,000+ Posts

    The good news is that lake levels at Lake Travis are finally showing some improvement. Earlier this month, Lake Travis was about 40 feet below average. Today it's 20 feet below average and 58 percent full. It's still drought impacted, but there is hope from here.
     
  3. Larry T Spider

    Larry T Spider 100+ Posts

    House park is under water
     
  4. TheWalkingHorn

    TheWalkingHorn 500+ Posts

    I took this screenshot while watching KXAN on my computer earlier.

    [​IMG]

    I'm 30 years old and a native Austinite and I can't remember another time in my life when Lamar looked like this. Absolutely crazy. My parents live in NW Austin and my dad was out in the pouring rain this afternoon helping his neighbor dig a trench to try and divert water from their backyard from flooding the house. Scary stuff!
     
  5. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts

    "Hey guys, I think we can make it across this water to dry land if I keep on driving!"
     
  6. Dionysus

    Dionysus Idoit Admin

    Whoa that's crazy Austin.

    It’s coming down pretty hard in Katy/Houston right now. My lawyer just called and advised me to drink that bottle of Pinot Noir so naturally I like to comply with sensible legal counsel.

    weather.png
     
    • Like Like x 1
  7. mb227

    mb227 de Plorable

    Before I moved from Austin, I worked not far from that intersection (I was off of West Avenue)...so the shots from that intersection and also the others I saw from 12th at Lamar are just absolutely stunning.

    All that is missing is things like sofas floating down the street from Louis Shanks and it could be 1981 all over again...
     
  8. n64ra

    n64ra 1,000+ Posts

    It was quite impressive to see the two very flooded low level water crossings in person by my house. But those 15th / Lamar pictures are even more unbelievable!
     
  9. Giovanni Jones

    Giovanni Jones 2,500+ Posts

    Flooding in Houston this morning. This is TX288 (the South Freeway) looking north toward downtown. Completely flooded out by Brays Bayou. I've commuted to Houston for 25 years and have not seen this, even during Tropical Storm Allison.
    [​IMG]
     
  10. nashhorn

    nashhorn 5,000+ Posts

    This does look a lot like Allison. I lived in an apartment off Spanish Trail by 288 then - while waiting for house to be built in Katy. 288 was submerged then too. Was strange how could drive West all the way to Katy but head East and you were in trouble.
    How did they prevent downtown from flooding this time? Allison was very nasty.
     
  11. Giovanni Jones

    Giovanni Jones 2,500+ Posts

    I've seen 288 at Loop 610 submerged numerous times over the years. This stretch, not so much. I'll take your word for it. My main impression from Allison was that it was harder for me to get from central Brazoria County to Hobby Airport (a usual 50-minute drive became nearly 2 hours because of a roundabout route to avoid flooded intersections) than to get to downtown.
     
  12. snek

    snek 500+ Posts

    Seems like I remember the exact same parts of Lamar (and that building that now houses Goodwill) with flooding. Yet people act flabbergasted it happened AGAIN. Guess what, it's gonna happen again sometime. And houses on the banks of rivers prone to flood, news flash, it'll happen again and again. I don't blame insurance companies for not insuring many homes prone to flooding. It doesn't lessen the human aspect of it but still, it's understandable. The way national media is reporting it, Austin was under ten feet of water. I am glad that Wimberley is getting a lot of attention because they got thrashed. I just hope some of the smaller towns that need help get it quickly.
     
  13. nashhorn

    nashhorn 5,000+ Posts

    Hey Gio that pic is definitely further south on 288 than what I saw with Allison. I lived right at the loop area.
    But I am still wondering how they prevented downtown disaster this time. I know from pictures my son sent the bayou flooded its banks but did not hear of the massive damage downtown like from Allison. I remember St Joe's hospital got it really bad.
     
  14. mchammer

    mchammer 10,000+ Posts

    I went tubing down Barton Creek in spring of 95(?) when there was a flood, but 2 days after it crested. We started at West Lake and pulled out before Barton Springs. I believe we were 20 ft above normal flow.
     

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