More Arlington Flood Information

From THE PEOPLE in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Good questions.  Any politicians want to answer?  City Staff?  Anyone??

Arlington flooding

Having family that has been flooded out of their home three times, rebuilt twice and now faces the onerous permit issue created by the city of Arlington, they are in financial limbo. The federal flood insurance only pays to repair the home from flood damage. It doesn't pay unless you rebuild. Further, it doesn't pay to raise it two feet above the mean 100-year flood elevation.

A simple solution would be to pay insurance proceeds directly to homeowners with the proviso that the home be removed and the land deeded to the city. Insurance proceeds from contents and flood insurance policies would put money in people's pockets and allow them to move elsewhere.

The amount of money being doled out by the federally backed flood insurance program grows with every flood. It seems prudent to make one final payout and be done with it.

Here's my two cents' worth after living in Arlington since 1954:

There are about nine weather stations in south Arlington providing accurate reports of rainfall every hour. They reported about 1 inch rain Sept. 7. At 9:30 a.m. Sept. 8, the rain increased rapidly to 2.5 to 3 inches an hour and continued for several hours, all of it heading for Rush Creek.

A station off Sublett Road reported a total of 11.33 inches; the average was 8.76.

Why didn't the city emergency management folks have knowledge of this (I did) and sound our tornado/flood sirens?

Next, we are all paying a hefty stormwater fee. Why can't Director of Public Works Bob Lowry's crew use these funds now to clean up Rush Creek so it will drain decently, instead of waiting for approval by the Corps of Engineers? Rush Creek is badly overgrown with trees and brush in south Arlington and probably a lot of other places too.

-- Howard Livingston, Arlington

Jeers: To area news stations for their lack of coverage of the recent flooding. Two of my family members live in a condominium association that flooded so badly that it took ladders to save them from the rushing water. Apparently the unrealistic happenings of soap operas superseded actual human lives.

Cheers: To the Euless Fire Department, public works and city officials who were quick to respond to the victims of flooding in Trailwood, bringing pumps, helping hands and encouragement. Thank you also for taking the time to make safety checks in those homes. To live here really is FabEuless!

-- Audrey Morrison, Euless