San Angelo Floods: Record Rainfall Causes Disaster, Relief Efforts Underway

A record 14 inches of rainfall early on the Fourth of July morning left many residents in San Angelo and Tom Green County evacuating their homes in a scramble to safety.

A flash flood on the north and northeast side of town affected 12,102 structures and 6,157 individual parcels, resulting in the city being declared a natural disaster area.

Heavy rains that fell in Abilene on Thursday moved south while another storm cell formed over San Angelo, traveling north and causing the area to see unprecedented rainfall.

A total of five people were reported missing on Friday, San Angelo police Chief Travis Griffith said. Tanya Burwick, 62, of Blackwell was discovered deceased at 9:15 a.m. Saturday after being caught in the floods. The other four missing persons were found safe.

All other injuries related to the flood were considered minor, Griffith said.

After two days of flooding in San Angelo, here is what we know.

Timeline

At 2 a.m. on Saturday, the San Angelo area began experiencing saturating showers. By 4 a.m., the surrounding area saw a significant increase in rainfall.

The National Weather Service sent its first emergency alert at 4:26 a.m. and another at 6:23 a.m. The NWS said 6-10 inches of rain fell by its first alert and that another 3 to 4 inches were expected by daybreak.

Between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., the San Angelo dispatch center received over 100 calls for water rescue services.

During that time, San Angelo firefighters and police began water rescues across the affected areas, using their equipment and civilian watercraft to perform over 100 water rescues. The rescues were primarily northwest and west of CRC Roofers Coliseum near the intersection of FM Road 2105 and U.S. Highway 87.

After the rainfall stopped, officials said most of the north and east side of the city saw an unprecedented amount of rainfall — at least 14 inches — in a few hours.

Tom Green County and the city of San Angelo used the resources available through the Texas Division of Emergency Management, establishing a temporary shelter at Texas AgriLife Center north of U.S. Highway 87.

The county and city submitted a formal disaster declaration to the office of Gov. Greg Abbott after completing the early morning water rescues.

Abbot declared a state disaster for 15 counties in central Texas, including Tom Green County, later in the evening at approximately 9 p.m.

What areas were affected?

From north of Loop 306 to FM Road 2105 along North Chadbourne Street saw slow rising flooding from the initial rainfall. Homes and buildings were submerged in waters as deep as 15 feet in some places. Due to the slower drainage on the north side of town, combined with the historic rainfall amount, the overflow water surged southeast down the San Angelo east draw.

The water from the draw flowed quickly, submerging the highway below the Bell Street overpass and engulfing multiple cars and a fire truck.

The flowing water increased in intensity through the San Angelo east draw and down Bell Street and Pulliam Street, sweeping away cars and homes along with other large debris.

The water continued flowing southeast, damaging structures and flooding streets as far west as North Pope Street and as far east as Goodfellow Air Force Base. Damage from the flooding was reported as far south as the South Concho River near the Texas Bank Sports Complex.

What now?

Many parts on the north side of San Angelo, around the west side of Chadbourne Street, are submerged under multiple feet of water in the slow-draining areas. There are road closures at the intersection near Grape Creek Road and Chadbourne Street and on E 41st Street where there are low points in the road.

City officials urge residents to stay clear of road closures and remain alert as more rainfall is predicted over the weekend.

How to receive assistance

City officials are urging residents and businesses affected by the flood to fill out an Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool survey. The objective of the iSTAT is to help state and local emergency management officials identify and gain an understanding of damages from the July 4 floods.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will go through the data from the submitted iSTATs to determine what federal assistance will be given to individuals if the damage meets certain thresholds.

“(Submit the iSTAT) the sooner the better, but we’re not going to shut you off,” TDEM District 10 Chief Shawn Baxter said. “The sooner we can meet those thresholds, the quicker we can get those applications up to the Governor’s Office.”

Baxter said the timeframe to see federal relief for the flooding could take weeks or months.

For relief in the short term, local nonprofits United Way of the Concho Valley and the San Angelo Area Foundation are able to disperse donations directly to individuals with the signed disaster declaration from the governor.

United Way, SAAF and other local community organizations active in disasters also use the iSTAT to help accurately and quickly distribute funds to individuals in need.

Just after noon Saturday, SAAF Vice President of Development Mason Brooks said the organization raised nearly $35,000 for the disaster relief fund — with more on the way.

“The San Angelo Area Foundation traditionally works with donors to carry out their charitable wishes," Brooks said. “Today, because of this catastrophe, this emergency, we are able to directly write checks, pending the process, approval and determinations, directly to the affected.”