1994 — Oct 16-20 and 22, Flash Flooding/Flooding, esp. Southeast TX –19-22

— 22 Blanchard tally of breakouts below (including Dallas County). — 22 Smith, et al. “Catastrophic Rainfall…Flooding in Texas.” Jour. Hydromet., 1/1, 2000. — 22 USGS Fact Sheet (FS-94-073). “Floods in Southeast Texas October 1994.” Jan 1995. — 19 NCDC. Storm Data, 36/10, Oct 1994, p. 41 (2 deaths in Dallas Co.), pp. 44-45 (17). — 19 TX Dept. of State Health Services. Flood-Related Mortality – [SE TX] Oct 16-25, 1994. — 18 USGS. Major and Catastrophic Storms and Floods in Texas…1853 to Sep 21 2002. — 17 NCDC, NOAA. Storm Data, 36/10, Oct 1994, p. 45. — 17 NWS WFO Houston/Galveston, TX. One Hundred Years…[SE TX]Weather (1900-2000). — 17 Perry (USGS). Summary of Significant Floods in the United States…1994… 2005, p261. Breakout by cause: –20 Drowning. Blanchard tally of NCDC Storm Data Flash flood/flood deaths, including Dallas Co. –17 Drowning. TX DSHS. Flood-Related Mortality – [SE TX] Oct 16-25, 1994. –9 Vehicle-related. TX DSHS. Flood-Related Mortality…Oct 16-25, 1994. –2 Children trying to reach safety after mother’s car driven into water. –1 Infant swept from father’s arms on roof of car driven into water. –1 Male lost control of vehicle, skidded into flooded gully. –1 Male; culvert collapsed, sending his vehicle into flooded creek. –2 Ranchers on horseback attempting to drive animals to higher ground. –2 Trying to swim in flood water. –3 People who slipped into flood water while walking. –1 Female inside her home. — 1 Carbon monoxide poisoning. TX DSHS. Flood-Related Mortality…Oct 16-25, 1994. — 1 Vehicle/pedestrian collision. TX DSHS. Flood-Related Mortality…Oct 16-25, 1994. Breakout by locality: — 1 Chambers County, Oct 17 (03:00 CST)-Oct 18 (12:00 CST). Flash Flood/Flood. — 1 Dallas County, 4 miles from west Balch Springs, Oct 21, 17:00 CST. Flash Flood. — 1 Dallas County, Balch Springs, Oct 21, 17:22 CST. Flash Flood. — 1 Fort Bend County, Oct 18, 05:00-18:00 CST. Flash Flood/Flood. — 3 Grimes County, Oct 16 (21:00 CST)-Oct 18 (10:00 CST). Flash Flood. — 3 Harris County, Oct 17 (03:00 CST)-Oct 18 (12:00 CST). Flash Flood/Flood. — 1 Lavaca County, ~Hallettsville, Oct 18-19. Female, 22; vehicle washed into Brush Creek. — 6 Montgomery County, Oct 16 (22:30 CST)-Oct 18 (10:00). Flash Flood/Flood. — 2 Polk County, Oct 16 (22:30 CST)-Oct 18 (10:00). Flash Flood/Flood. — 1 San Jacinto County, Oct 16 (22:30 CST)-Oct 18 (10:00). Flash Flood/Flood. Narrative Information NCDC Storm Data, Southeast and Mid-TX Coast, Oct 16-18: “Widespread heavy rainfall of between 7.00 and 20. 00 inches fell across the five counties between the 16th and the 18th of October. This rain occurred in the wake of Pacific Hurricane Rosa that crossed into Mexico and through Texas earlier in the previous week. A deep plume of tropical moisture surged northward behind Rosa as it had slowed after entering the Mississippi Valley. A weak cold front moving southward into Texas had become stationary along the Texas Coast between the Victoria and Austin areas on October 15th. The combination of deep tropical moisture and great instability was translated into widespread and continual thunderstorm development along the quasi-stationary frontal boundary. Rainfall began falling first in Bastrop, Lee and Fayette Counties, spreading to the southeast after the 17th of October. Thunderstorms developing along the boundary continued to move northeastward for many hours, producing rainfall of generally 8.00 to 12.00 inches with isolated area of up to 20.00 inches….” (National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 36, No. 10, Oct 1994, p. 47.) NCDC Storm Data, Southeast TX: “Heavy rains began falling late Sunday afternoon [16th] across Burleson, Brazos, Grimes and Washington Counties. Rains quickly spread east across Madison, Houston, Walker, Trinity, San Jacinto, Polk and Montgomery Counties by midnight. Before sunrise [17th] the rains had spread south into Austin, Waller, Harris and Liberty Counties. Rainfall amounts overnight ranged from 10 to 18 inches in the above mentioned counties and most of these areas had experienced flash flooding during the night. “During the night [16th-17th] five lives were lost in the flash floods in three separate instances. “During the day Monday [17th] the heavy rain began shifting further south across southern Harris and southern Liberty Counties. The city of Liberty ended up with slightly over 30 inches of rain during the storm for the greatest amount recorded. Most of this rain fell during the day Monday into Monday night and Tuesday morning [18th]. “During the day Monday [17th] an additional seven people drowned in the flood bringing the two day total to 12 people. “On Monday night and Tuesday rains continue to slide further south and began affecting people in Jackson, Wharton, Matagorda, Brazoria and portions of Fort Bend Counties. Over the next two days [16th-17th] an additional 5 people died as a result of the floods. “Total rainfall for the entire storm generally ranged from 10 to 20 inches with Liberty recording 30.50 inches of rain during the storm. Even before the flash flood producing rains had ended flooding of rivers, creeks and bayous had begun and would continue in some cases to the end of October. Major rivers that experienced flooding included the Trinity from just above Lake Livingston to the mouth of the Trinity River at Trinity Bay. Record height on Lake Livingston was recorded on October 17 which resulted in a record release from the dam of over 110,000 cfs. This record release in combination an additional inflow of 45,000 cfs from Long King Creek below the dam led to a record flood along the Trinity River below Lake Livingston. The Trinity River at Liberty set a new record crest on October 21 and when a levee system failed much of the city of Liberty was underwater. The San Jacinto River System across Montgomery County and northern Harris County was also at record heights during the flood. Lake Conroe reached a record height on the afternoon of October 17 which resulted in record releases from the lake and also resulted in record heights along the river all the way to Lake Houston. Spring Creek along the Harris/Montgomery County border reached a record height of 49.8 feet on October 18 breaking the previous record of 33.6 feet set in 1940. The excessive inflow into Lake Houston resulted in a record height at Lake Houston of 52.76 feet which is three feet higher than the previous record. The uncontrolled spillway at Lake Houston released an estimated 354,000 cfs into the lower San Jacinto River that eventually flows into the Houston Ship Channel. The tremendous flows caused four fuel pipelines to rupture resulting in a fuel spill in the river and subsequent fires. Further west the Colorado and Brazos Rivers were also in flood. “The floods on the Brazos lasted until October 27 in Brazoria County even though Brazoria County for the most part was spared the heavy rain the previous week. Even further west the Lavaca Navidad in Jackson County went into flood on Tuesday morning closing highway 59 in Edna. The river remained above flood stage til the end of the week. In Harris, northern Brazoria and northern Galveston Counties Sims Bayou and Clear Creek left their banks flooding several subdivisions and causing numerous evacuations. “In summary 17 people lost their lives during the flood. Over 13,000 people had to be evacuated during the floods and over 22,000 homes received flood damage. Total damage to homes and business’s was approximately 800 million dollars while another 100 million dollars damage was done to roads and bridges throughout southeast Texas. During the height of the flood several major highways leading into and out of Houston were impassable due to high water. These included Interstate 10 east of Houston, Highway 59 at Humble in northeast Harris County was underwater and Interstate 45 at Conroe in Montgomery County was also underwater.” (National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 36, No. 10, Oct 1994, p. 45.) NCDC Storm Data, Southern TX, Lavaca County, Oct 18-19: “Rainfall varied between 12.00 and 15.00 inches over the county generally, with the highest amounts in the southeast part of the county. The maximum rainfall was estimated at nearly 20.00 inches in extreme southeast Lavaca County. One death was reported in Lavaca as the result of the flooding. A 22-year old woman from Yoakum drowned when the vehicle she was driving along US 77 south of Hallettsville was washed off the road into Brushy Creek. Widespread damage was indicated to roads in the southern part of the county. The Lavaca River remained below flood stage although it did exceed bank-full stage. No flooding of homes was indicated.” (National Climatic Data Center, NOAA. Storm Data, Vol. 36, No. 10, Oct 1994, p. 48.) NWS WFO, Houston/Galveston: “The October 1994 Floods – October 17-21, 1994 • 2-3 days of heavy rain produced widespread flooding over much of the region • 17 persons killed • Damage to homes…bridges…agriculture estimated to exceed $900 million dollars • Over 22,000 homes flooded • Record lake levels at Lake Conroe…Lake Livingston and Lake Houston with a record high release (flow) of 110,000 cubic feet per second at Lake Livingston • Ruptured fuel pipelines produced a fire on the San Jacinto River • Over 10,000 people displaced from their homes and 25 counties were declared Federal disaster areas.” (National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Houston/Galveston, TX. One Hundred Years of Southeast Texas Weather (1900-2000). Dickinson, TX: 12-20-2009 modification.) Smith, et al.: “Heavy rainfall and flooding occurred on the Gulf Coastal Plain physiographic province of southeastern Texas in October 1994 and caused 22 deaths and more than $1 billion in damages.” (Smith, et al. “Catastrophic Rainfall and Flooding in Texas.” Journal of Hydrometeorology, 1/1, Feb 2000, 5-25.) TX DSHS: “Heavy, prolonged rains beginning October 16, 1994, resulted in devastating flooding of much of southeastern Texas over a period of roughly two weeks. Fed by deep tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, a large storm cell developed over Montgomery, Walker, Polk and San Jacinto counties. More than five inches of rain fell in less than three hours. Excessive rainfall continued throughout the next forty-eight hours. “Thirty-five counties were declared either total or partial federal disaster areas. Most of these counties received 10-15 inches of rain. Lake Conroe and the west fork of the San Jacinto River, the Trinity River above Lake Livingston, and the Trinity River above Liberty received 20-25 inches of rain. The result was massive flooding in the Brazos, San Jacinto and Trinity river basins, in Pine Island Bayou, and the Neches River watershed. Eighty-seven water systems in ten counties were contaminated or otherwise affected by flood waters. Fifty-year-old crest records of lakes, creeks and rivers were frequently broken. “The 1994 population in the affected counties is estimated to be 5,082,262, or approximately one-third of the entire population of Texas. Over 10,000 persons were evacuated from flooded areas. More than 20,000 homes, several schools, and numerous businesses sustained some degree of flood damage. Numerous roads were inundated and closed. “This report summarizes findings of the investigation of deaths associated with the floods. To assess mortality associated with this episode of flooding, staff of the Injury Prevention and Control Program (IPCP), Bureau of Epidemiology, Texas Department of Health, obtained epidemiologic information from officials in a 36-county area (35 disaster-declared counties and one adjacent county [Lavaca]). Medical examiners, sheriffs, county judges, emergency management office personnel, hospital personnel, and Texas Department of Health regional office personnel were questioned by telephone using a standard survey tool developed by IPCP. “A case was defined as a death that occurred between October 16 and October 25, 1994, and was directly or indirectly related to flooding in the study area. A directly-related death was defined as one that resulted from physical contact with flood water, such as drowning. An indirectly-related death was defined as one that did not result from physical contact with flood water, and which would not have happened if flooding had not occurred. Examples of indirect deaths include those resulting from a flood-related activity, such as electrocution due to post-flood cleanup, cardiac arrest due to exertion or stress during the flood or during post-flood cleanup, or motor vehicle crashes related to flood-diverted traffic patterns. A motor vehicle-related death was defined as any death that would not have occurred in the absence of a motor vehicle. “Nineteen deaths occurred as a result of the floods between October 16 through October 25. Eighteen victims were Texas residents and one was a Mexican National. Seventeen of the nineteen deaths (89%) were directly-related to flooding (i.e., victims drowned), while the remaining two (11%) deaths were indirectly-related to flooding (e.g., one death due to motor vehicle-pedestrian collision and the other due to carbon monoxide poisoning). “Decedents ranged in age from 2 months to 72 years (mean: 41 years; median: 43 years). Seventy-four percent (14/19) of decedents were males. “Fifty-eight percent (11/19) of the confirmed deaths occurred because a motor-vehicle was first driven into high water. Nine of the eleven (82%) motor vehicle-related deaths were due to drowning. “Seven victims and their vehicles were swept from roadways by fast-moving, deep water. For example, a mother lost two of four children as the family attempted to reach safety after their car was driven into high water; and an infant slipped from the arms of his father as the family climbed onto the roof of their car after driving into high water. One victim was a pedestrian hit by an auto trying to avoid high water on the road; one victim died of carbon monoxide poisoning while idling his pickup truck in high water which surrounded him; one victim lost control of his vehicle which then skidded into a flooded gully; and one victim died when a culvert collapsed, sending him and his vehicle into the flooded creek. Nine of the eleven (82%) motor vehicle-related deaths occurred within approximately five miles of the victim’s home. “Forty-two percent (8/19) of the deaths were non-motor vehicle-related. Two deaths occurred to ranchers on horseback as they attempted to drive their animals to higher ground; two individuals died when they attempted to swim in flood waters; three victims were walking when they slipped into flood waters; and one victim drowned while inside her home. “Sixty-eight percent (13/19) of deaths occurred in the first two days of the flood (October 16 and 17). “Nearly all (10/11, 91%) of the motor vehicle-related deaths occurred in the first two days of flooding. Eighteen of the nineteen deaths occurred during flash flooding of creeks or rivers. Two separate incidents (involving three flash flood deaths) occurred on October 16, within one hour and 100 yards of each other on Holland Creek in Grimes county. Three other flash flood deaths involved flood waters of the San Jacinto River in Montgomery and San Jacinto counties. Two of these deaths occurred within thirty minutes of each other on the same river in Montgomery and San Jacinto counties, while the other death in Montgomery county occurred two days later. Deaths from San Jacinto River and Holland Creek accounted for 33% (6/18) of flash flood deaths. “The only death not due to flash flooding occurred when a 63 year old woman refused to leave her home in Montgomery county and drowned in rising water from a flooding river. “Seventy-four percent (14/19) of the deaths occurred in four counties (Montgomery, Harris, Grimes, Polk). Montgomery and Harris counties had five and four deaths, respectively.” (Texas Department of State Health Services. Flood-Related Mortality – Southeast Texas October 16-25, 1994. 9-9-2004, 3 pages.) Liscum and East: “Rainfall in southeast Texas, which ranged in amounts from about 8 to more than 28 inches during October 15-19, 1994, caused severe flooding in parts of a 38-county area. A combination of meteorological events — residual atmospheric moisture over southern Texas associated with Hurricane Rosa from the Pacific Coast of Mexico and low-level moisture from the Gulf of Mexico drawn inland to a warm front by a strong low-pressure system over the southern Rocky Mountains — spawned vigorous thunderstorms that produced rainfall amounts that may exceed records for the area. “Flooding was most severe in the San Jacinto River Basin along the West and East Forks of the San Jacinto River and along Spring Creek; in the Trinity River Basin near Lake Livingston and along several tributaries to the lake; and in the Lavaca River Basin. Flooding was also severe in several coastal basins, notably Cedar and Pine Island Bayous. Many of the resulting peak stages (maximum water-surface elevation above a datum) and streamflows exceeded all observed historical values. “Assessment of the flood damage continued into November. The Houston Chronicle in early November listed 22 flood-related deaths and 15,775 homes damaged, including 3,069 destroyed and 6,560 requiring major repairs. As of November 8, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had declared 29 of the 38 counties to be disaster areas, received 26,000 applications for disaster assistance, and approved $54 million in disaster assistance. Railroad and highway roadbeds and bridges, and oil and gasoline pipelines, sustained major damage. Resulting spills of oil and gasoline caused environmental damage, particularly to the lower San Jacinto River and Galveston Bay. The Texas Insurance Commissioner estimates privately covered insurance losses at $700 million…. “By any measure, the flooding of October 1994 was an extreme and dangerous event. Historical peak streamflows were exceeded at 23 of the 43 stations monitored in the area. The 100-year flood, which is defined as the peak streamflow that has a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, was equaled at 3 stations and exceeded at 16 of the 43 stations. For those stations where the 100-year flood was exceeded, the magnitude of exceedance ranged from 1.1 times the 100-year flood at several stations…to 2.9 times the 100-year flood at Kickapoo Creek near Onalaska… At 25 of the 43 stations, the peak stages for the floods exceeded the historical maximums.” (United States Geological Survey (Fred Liscum and Jeffery W. East). “Floods in Southeast Texas October 1994 (Fact Sheet FS-94-073).” Jan 1995, p. 1-2.) Sources City of Balch Springs, TX. Hickory Creek Flood Protection Planning Study Final Report. Richardson, TX: Halff Associates for City of Balch Springs, 7-29-2011. Accessed 2-26-2016 at: http://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/contracted_reports/doc/0904830952_HickoryCreek.pdf National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 36, No. 10, Oct 1994. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 2-26-2016 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-F408E215-0A8E-4779-A9E0-7FBBA72DE9BE.pdf National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Houston/Galveston, TX. One Hundred Years of Southeast Texas Weather (1900-2000). Dickinson, TX: NWS, 12-20-2009 modification. Accessed 6-8-2012 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/?n=climate_holidays_hundred Perry, Charles A. (USGS). Summary of Significant Floods in the United States and Puerto Rico, 1994 Through 1998 Water Years (Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5194). Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2005. Prepared in USGS, Lawrence, KS. Accessed 2-26-2016 at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2005/5194/pdf/sir2005-5194.pdf Smith, James A., Mary Lynn Baeck, Julia E. Morrison, Paula Sturdevant-Rees. “Catastrophic Rainfall and Flooding in Texas.” Journal of Hydrometeorology, Vol. 1, Is. 1, Feb 2000, pp. 5-25. At: http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/1525-7541%282000%29001%3C0005%3ACRAFIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2 Texas Department of Health (TDH). “Flood-Related Mortality in Southeast Texas, October 16-25.” Pages 50-52 in Epidemiology in Texas — 1994 Annual Report. Austin, TX: TDH. Accessed 2-26-2016 at: https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/data/documents/1994TexasAnnualReport.pdf Texas Department of State Health Services. Flood-Related Mortality – Southeast Texas October 16-25, 1994. 9-9-2004, 3 pages. http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=8589955223 United States Geological Survey (Fred Liscum and Jeffery W. East). “Floods in Southeast Texas October 1994 (Fact Sheet FS-94-073).” Jan 1995. Accessed 6-8-2012 at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-073-94/pdf/FS-94-073.pdf