Floods and Tornadoes in Texas

[The Observer]

I know that we have a few Quatloosians in areas being affected by severe flooding and twisters. I know for a fact that Famspear is directly in line of the storms, and has a particular special needs challenge in his family to deal with. Here's hoping and praying that they come through safely.

[Famspear]

Thanks. We're good.

The rain started last night (Monday night) at my house on the west side of Houston between about 8:45 pm and 9:00 pm. I checked my rain gauge this morning, and we got 4.4 inches of rain over night. The thunder and lightning was intense until at least 1:00 am -- actually so bad that I couldn't sleep that well. (My wife wears ear plugs when she sleeps, so she did a little better, I think.)

As many regulars here know, my son has Down Syndrome. I wake him up after 10:00 pm each night, just long enough to get him to sit up in bed so I can give him some medicine he needs. (He's groggy, of course, and he goes right back to sleep, fortunately.) Last night when I woke him up and gave him his medicine, with the noise of the thunder and rain outside his bedroom window, he pointed at the window and said, "Off!" (meaning, of course: "Daddy, turn that noise off!").

In our neighborhood, we didn't even really get any serious street flooding -- the water didn't even come over the curb (although it did fill the street).

Other places did not fare well -- especially on the east and south sides of town.

[Pottapaug1938]

I hope that Prof is doing well, also....

[rogfulton]

I'm in west Austin. We didn't get as much Monday as Famspear but we had over 6" for the 3-day weekend. The water did come over our curb for about two hours but never crossed the sidewalk.

There is a large creek less than a mile from our house which to my knowledge has only closed US290 where it crosses but has never flooded in our neighborhood.

Downtown Austin took the brunt of the flooding with Shoal Creek over 25 foot higher than normal. Every business between 9th and 12th Streets on N. Lamar suffered damage severe enough to be closed a week or more.

Waller Creek was more than 10 feet higher than normal and several downtown streets were impassable.

Around the area, more than 400 low water crossings were still closed into Tuesday.

Oddly, we didn't even lose any trees here in Oak Hill but the traffic lights to get out of the neighborhood are still flashing red.

[Pottapaug1938]

An old college friend lives in the Zilker neighborhood of Austin. She and her husband are fine, because they live on a hill; but it's pretty bad all around them.