Fires and Floods

Go hand and hand.  Who would have thought?

FEMA fills you in.  So if a wild fire can cause a flood downstream, what else could?

Flood mitigation methods will also be discussed because flooding risks can jump after a wildfire, even in areas far from the fire that were not previously considered as having moderate or high flood hazards.

Flooding may be the last disaster wildfire survivors think they should guard against. When fire burns away vegetation, however, there is nothing to soak up the water from the heavy rainstorms that can occur in Texas. Storm runoff can cause severe erosion, mudslides and flooding.  

While the highest risk of flooding is for properties directly impacted by fire, it also rises for homes downstream or below scorched areas.

Another flood "study"...

This one in Arlington concerning Rush Creek Watershed.

Once it's completed FEMA and the Corp will get involved.  YOU know what that means.  Cha-ching.

Read about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Then watch the Arlington flooding that happened Wednesday, though no one is sure the cause for the water main break.  Those living near the waste water plant have been flooded many times in the past several years.  Maybe they should study that, too.  Check it out on Fox 4 news.  What all runs downhill?

In September 2010, Tropical Storm Hermine sent several feet of floodwater raging through dozens of west Arlington homes and the Willows at Shady Valley condos. The city, saying that no amount of dredging would stop Rush Creek from flooding, bought 48 of the affected homes and the condominium complex as part of a $16 million program to address chronic flooding.

During Tuesday's City Council meeting, interim Public Works and Transportation Director Keith Melton outlined a planned Rush Creek watershed study that aims to identify its true 100-year flood plain, which hasn't been updated since the 1970s.

Many of the homes in the Shady Valley area were built before those flood maps were adopted. Over the years, development upstream has increased storm-water runoff flowing into the creek and through the downstream neighborhoods, causing millions of dollars in flood damage.

Arlington wants to determine how high Rush Creek storm water could rise once the watershed is fully developed. Rush Creek, which encompasses about one-third of the city, is the largest of the city's nine watersheds and has the most undeveloped land within it, Melton said.

The study, set to be presented to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers in 2013, will help the city identify possible drainage and storm-water-retention projects to protect structures, interim City Manager Bob Byrd said. The studies could help FEMA determine a new 100-year Rush Creek basin flood plain, which could affect homeowners' flood insurance premiums.

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Some Arlington homeowners said they were shocked and completely helpless when a water treatment plant mishap sent water rushing through their homes.

“I’m a realtor and was working at my computer and happened to look out the door and saw water coming 90 miles an hour down the hill,” said Carol Cash.

She said this is not the first time water from the plant has flooded their home. And her family has been trying to negotiate a settlement deal with the city.

"Someone is going to drown"

Have you ever not been able to be in your home for the holidays?  Our thoughts are with the Arlington flood victims during this holiday season. 

Read about their struggle in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  This is happening in many areas, remember what happens when nothing is ever done, it just gets worse.

More than 200 homes and condominium units citywide were damaged during the Sept. 8 storm. More than half the affected properties were along Rush Creek, where flooding has worsened over the years because of development upstream.

Flooding Victims

TWO MONTHS AFTER the flood, that destroyed your home and everything you own, you can now get a loan! 

Read all about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The Sept. 8 storm hit west Arlington particularly hard. At least 129 homes and 68 units at the Willows at Shady Valley condominiums were inundated.


"A lot of people are going to have to borrow money to make ends meet, particularly since a lot of money they have spent has gone into temporary housing," said Barry, a spokesman for the dozens of flood victims on Southpark, Woodland Park Boulevard, Woodridge, Valleycrest and Creekside drives.

"They have had to pay for hotels, motels. Certainly they are going to need money."

In Sansom Park, City Hall was condemned because most of the building was flooded with about 8 inches of water, affecting all but two offices. The heavy rain brought by Hermine overwhelmed the drainage system.

Arlington Flood help?

Read the latest flood pattern in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

With federal disaster assistance uncertain, the Arlington City Council is considering issuing bonds to buy and demolish dozens of homes in the Rush Creek flood plain to "get people out of harm's way," Mayor Robert Cluck said Thursday.

"I think that area gets so inundated that we should clear it and do something else with it," Cluck told members of the League of Women Voters during its annual State of the City luncheon.

"There is no way we can control flooding on Rush Creek. It's like a bathtub."

As Tropical Storm Hermine passed through the area Sept. 8, at least 129 homes and 68 units at the Willows at Shady Valley condominiums in west Arlington were damaged by floodwaters. Most affected homes are along Rush Creek near Pioneer Parkway and Green Oaks Boulevard.

At least 11 homes were so heavily damaged that they will likely be demolished, Cluck said.

Arlington officials have said they expect to learn this month whether President Barack Obama will declare Tarrant County and 12 other Texas counties federal disaster areas. The declaration would allow the city and flood victims to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The city will also apply for FEMA grant money to buy out homes that have flooded at least twice, known as severe repetitive losses, funding that is not contingent on a federal disaster declaration, Public Works Director Bob Lowry said.

In the meantime, city leaders are considering their alternatives to pay for buyouts.

Arlington, which has been collecting appraisals on affected properties, would need $13 million to $18 million to buy and tear down structures in the Rush Creek flood plain, Cluck said. Most of the flood victims who attended public meetings since the storm have told city leaders that they want to be bought out.

"Those people want their homes gone. They have been through three or four floods. They are tired of it," Cluck said.

Some have questioned why the city allowed homes and town houses to be built in a flood plain. Arlington officials say the area wasn't flood-prone when much of the construction took place. But the flood plain has expanded as development has spread.


Four years ago, after the last big flood along Rush Creek, the city spent $2 million from FEMA to buy and demolish six houses.

Storm's Coming

And Arlington still needs help.

Read the Letter to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Thanks to those orgainizations that step up to the plate and really do help people when they find themselves homeless within a matter of minutes.  Maybe FEMA should get some pointers from the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and area churches. 

After the flood

Thanks to the Chisholm Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the city of Arlington employees, elected officials and church volunteers who came to our aid after the Sept. 8 Arlington floods.

As affected residents, we are still dazed as well as homeless, facing many life-changing decisions about our future. We are grateful to the above-named people in their continued support while making decisions regarding our nearly destroyed homes. May God bless each and every one of you as well as the former residents of our condominium family.

-- Tom Clayton, Arlington

Also, check out the story on NBCDFW.com.

Two weeks after flood waters from Tropical Storm Hermine devastated their neighborhood, residents along Rush Creek in west Arlington say they feel forgotten and need help.

Nearby, a complex of apartments and condos is all but abandoned. There's no power, and residents such as Diane Wade have moved out -- often with only the clothes on their backs.

In the same neighborhood, at least 60 homes were damaged and dozens of apartments destroyed.

Real People, Real Flooding

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has an article about the most recent Arlington flooding and what to do about it.  Some excellent points made in this one, also brings up some excellent questions.

Many residents are expressing an interest in being bought out of their flood-ravaged homes, with some blaming development for exacerbating the damage.

"There are a lot of unknowns," Lowry said. "The best-case scenario is 12 months to two years. But just with those condos, we're looking at 100-plus units. It could be a very lengthy process, and there are no guarantees."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hazard Mitigation Program can leave homeowners in limbo as they wait to see whether their homes will be part of a buyout.

Texas Lone Star - Shouldn't the agency named EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT be able to help people in an EMERGENCY? 

"When we bought the house, we weren't in the flood plain, but now we are. It's from years of unchecked development," Saenz said. "I don't know when this is going to become a priority with the city -- maybe when somebody loses their life.

Texas Lone Star - Don't hold your breath, Mr. Sanez.  A little girl lost her life three years ago in a flood in Tarrant County, guess what's been done to the creek since?

One other avenue that Arlington could pursue for buyouts is the Army Corps of Engineers, but that does "take some time," said Elston Eckhardt, branch chief for civil works in the Fort Worth District.

As an example, Eckhardt cited the corps' involvement in an effort, beginning in 2002, to buy out homes along Onion Creek in southeast Arlington.

It has received federal authorization and matching local funding but is still waiting for Congress to provide funding, Eckhardt said.

Texas Lone Star - If the Corp and FEMA are involved, WHY would it take so long?  If their priority is protecting people and property why is their time and OUR money being spent on the Trinity River Vision? The money for the "Vision" was said to be "in the bank" as recently as last week.  WHY would Congress not provide funding?  WHO appropriates the funds?  Ask YOUR Congresswoman.

"I think it's a combination of an overwhelmed storm drain system with not enough previous ground," Gittiban said. "There's more asphalt, more concrete and roof areas."

Some have questioned why the homes and town homes were built in a flood plain. But Arlington officials say the area wasn't in a flood plain when many of the homes and condos were built.

"The flood plain grew as development grew," Deputy City Manager Fiona Allen said.

Texas Lone Star - We are sure Gittiban's statement was PERVIOUS ground, not previous.  WHO is responsible for growing the flood plain?  The developers or the city/county/agencies involved that should be regulating that?

"Anytime you develop upstream in a watershed, runoff increases," Lowry said. "To qualify that, you have to talk to a qualified hydrologist. But we don't believe this storm was in excess of a 100-year flood."

Texas Lone Star -  Guess what's downstream of the Trinity River Vision?  PEOPLE, Property and Arlington.

Don't worry Arlington, help is on the way in 2016, right?  Ask Haltom City about that.  You might also want to find out what the local funding portion will be by then.  Then, ask WHY it's taking so long?