Could Florida experience type of deadly flooding Texas got? History shows it can ... and has
The death toll haD increased to 95, including at least 27 children and counselors from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp in Kerr County.
Rain caused the nearby Guadalupe River to surge over 26 feet in less than five hours, the National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio posted on X.
➤ Live updates: Texas flooding death toll rises; Search continues for missing campers
"Texas is grieving right now. The pain, the shock of what has transpired these last few days has broken the heart of our state," said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Can what happened in Texas happen in Florida, where torrential rain from hurricanes and thunderstorms is common? Here's what you should know.
Texas Hill Country is no stranger to extreme flooding. It's known for heavy rains that collect in shallow streams and rivers that can burst into torrents like the deadly flood wave that swept along the Guadalupe River on July 4-5. Some reports say the river surged more than 26 feet in less than an hour.
Emergency flash flood warnings were sent in the middle of the night, giving residents little time to understand what was happening and to react.
The Guadalupe River skyrocketed more than 20 feet in a matter of hours in several locations
➤ Texas flooding help: How to donate without getting scammed
Several factors came together at once — in one of the worst possible locations — to create the 'horrifying' scenario that dropped up to 16 inches of rainfall in the region between July 3-5, said Alan Gerard, a recently retired storm specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
On July 4, it was a case of everything focusing in "exactly the wrong place."
Forecasters said they pushed out warnings as fast as they got the data. But the hilly terrain and the trickiness of predicting flash floods made forecasting and alerting communities along the Guadalupe River in real time particularly challenging.
On July 4, rain was falling at 3-4 inches per hour, with some locations recording a deluge of up to 7 inches of rain in just three hours, the National Weather Service said.
Kerrville in Kerr County is located about 80 miles west of Austin or 60 miles northwest of San Antonio in south-central Texas. It's more than 200 miles southwest of Dallas.
The National Weather Service issues several types of flood-related warnings.
A flash flood emergency is issued for "exceedingly rare situations situations when extremely heavy rain is leading to a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from a flash flood is happening or will happen soon," the National Weather Service said.
"Typically, emergency officials are reporting life-threatening water rises resulting in water rescues/evacuations.
"This is a life-threatening situation! Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order."
A flash flood warning is issued "when dangerous flash flooding is happening or will happen soon. A warning is usually a smaller, more specific area (than a flood watch). This can be issued due to excessive heavy rain or a dam/levee failure.
"A flash flood is a sudden violent flood that can take from minutes to hours to develop. It is even possible to experience a flash flood in areas not immediately receiving rain.
"This is when you must act quickly as flash floods are an imminent threat to you and your family. You may only have seconds to move to higher ground."
Maybe.
Wireless Emergency Alerts — called WEAs — are free notifications delivered to your mobile device. To receive the alerts, you need to make sure you have not turned those notifications off.
The Wireless Emergency Alerts are limited to flash flood warnings when there is a "threat tag" of considerable or catastrophic, the National Weather Service said.
On an iPhone, go to:
Settings
Notifications
Government Alerts (on the bottom of the screen)
Turn on the desired alert
On an Android, go to:
Settings
Notifications
Wireless emergency alerts (which may be under advanced settings or safety and emergency)
Turn on the desired alert
Flash flood warnings are the same across the U.S. but some apparently have complained about too many notifications.
"Public perception is that the NWS over-alerts FFWs (flash flood warnings), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has noted a large number of complaints about overnight WEAs (Wireless Emergency Alerts) for FFWs with perceived little impact," the National Weather Service said.
The NWS added it issues more than 4,000 flash flood warnings every year, with a range of impacts on lives and livelihoods.
In response to complaints, the National Weather Service in September 2019 began to reformat its flash flood warnings into a new format and now issues Wireless Emergency Alerts "only for flash flood events that require immediate life-saving action."
In addition to the flash flood warning and notification of a flash flood emergency there also are flood warnings, flood advisories and flood watches.
A flood warning is issued when the hazardous weather event is imminent or already happening. A flood warning is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring.
A flood advisory is issued when a specific weather event that is forecast to occur may become a nuisance.
A flood advisory is issued when flooding is not expected to be bad enough to issue a warning. However, it may cause significant inconvenience, and if caution is not exercised, it could lead to situations that may threaten life and/or property, the National Weather Service said.
A flood watch is issued when conditions are favorable for a specific hazardous weather event to occur.
A flood watch is issued when conditions are favorable for flooding. It does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible.
There are floods in Florida. Here are types of floods seen in the Sunshine State, according to the National Weather Service:
Flash flooding
River flooding
Tropical systems and coastal flooding
Dam breaks/levee failure
If you live in a flood-prone area, you're especially vulnerable to hurricane impacts.
However, remember that even it you don't live in a flood-prone area, you're not necessarily safe since extreme rain can flood even those areas.
Here's how to find out now the flood risk for your area so you can plan accordingly.
Go to FEMA's Flood Risk website, floodsmart.gov/flood-risk
Scroll down and enter your zip code and click on Discover Your Risk
Look at the map to see if your risk is low, moderate or high
You can also enter your address for a more precise view of your risk
You can also check NOAA's Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper at coast.noaa.gov. Zoom in on the map to see a coastal flood hazard composite showing zones 1 to 11.
Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928: A Category 4 hurricane hit Southeast Florida, moved across Lake Okeechobee and then turned north. Major hurricane force northwest winds created a storm surge on the southeast side of the lake which easily overtopped the 4-5 foot dike that was in place. The resulting flood covered an area of hundreds of square miles, with some areas experiencing water over 20 feet deep. The area flooded by the lake was approximately 75 miles wide and 6 miles long. Many of those who survived the flood, along with the bodies of the ones that didn't, were swept by the flood waters into the Everglades, never to be found. The death toll was estimated at more than 2,500.
Cape Sable Hurricane of 1947: Approximately 90% of the eastern Florida peninsula south of Orlando was flooded. In all, approximately 5 million square acres of the Florida peninsula was flooded with water ranging from 6 inches deep to 10 feet deep. U.S. 1 flooded and became impassible between Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Hurricane Dora 1964: Tides ran 5 to 8 feet or more above normal along the northeast Florida coast. Tides estimated at 12 feet moved across Anastasia Island off St. Augustine. Storm total rainfall of over 10 inches occurred over an estimated 10,000-square-mile area. Mayo recorded the greatest storm total with 23.73 inches of rain.
Tropical Storm Fay 2008: Fay made four landfalls in Florida and produced torrential rainfall that cased extensive rainfall. Extreme rainfall total of 27.65 inches was measured near Melbourne, which broke a 50-year old record. There were numerous rainfall reports of more than 20 inches reported across east-central Florida and amounts in excess of 10 inches were common elsewhere across central and northern Florida. Fay's rainfall did benefit Lake Okeechobee, which saw a beneficial 4-foot rise in the water level in less than one week.
Tropical Storm Debby 2012: Widespread heavy rain totaling over 10 inches occurred over west central Florida north of Tampa, over the eastern Florida panhandle, and east across portions of northeast Florida. In Panacea, 20.63 inches of rain fell in 24 hours. The peak storm total rainfall occurred in Curtis Mill, which saw 28.78 inches. There was a 29 foot rise in water level on the Sopchoppy River in 30 hours. Across west central Florida, the Suncoast Parkway was closed for a week due to flood waters.
Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm-related hazard.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood water.
The next highest percentage of flood-related deaths is due to walking into or near flood waters. People underestimate the force and power of water. Many of the deaths occur in cars swept downstream.
Six inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and just 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks.
During the same devastating emergencies when so many people want to help, there will be scammers seeking to take advantage. Before donating to an unfamiliar charity, check them out.
➤ Texas flooding help: How to donate without getting scammed
Relief organizations such as the Red Cross and World Central Kitchen have been in the area for days, local groups are gathering supplies and money to help people who were impacted.
While there is often an urge to send water, blankets, food and other items, charity organizations aren't ready to handle the logistical nightmare of organizing, sorting, storing and distributing physical goods. Donating money to trusted charities means the money goes to what's needed right now in the places it's needed most.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice maintains a list of approved charitable organizations.
GoFundMe has a dedicated hub of Texas flooding requests that have been verified by GoFundMe to be legitimate.
Here's a few national organizations helping victims:
American Red Cross
World Central Kitchen
The Salvation Army
All Hands and Hearts
Direct Relief
Operation Blessing
Save the Children
Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver, Christopher Cann, USA TODAY; C.A. Bridges, USA Today Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Flash flood warnings: What to know, what to do. Deadly Florida floods
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