Flash flood threat returns to central Texas

AccuWeather

AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter discusses the ongoing flooding disaster in Texas.

Transcript

00:00Joining us right now is AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter.

00:04You know, John, we were talking with Melissa Constanzer, you and I, just about an hour ago,

00:09and she was talking about the area of what happened and the area that needs to be searched,

00:15and it's pretty daunting here.

00:18Let's start with the Guadalupe River, which was the cause of the problems here.

00:22Yeah, it's a large part along the Guadalupe River,

00:26and there are so many volunteers here who are out combing each part of this river here,

00:33so many people helping with the local officials and with the search,

00:37and the concern is we don't like this setup that's going on today here

00:40with heavy rain developing just south and west of this area right now.

00:44That's going to spread in, as we said today, and can renew the flood problems.

00:47It's very likely that the search will be suspended once again,

00:51but look at how large of an area this is from the south fork of the Guadalupe River

00:55through the area near Camp Mystic and out to Hunt, Ingram down to Kerrville

01:00and all the way over to Comfort, and then also further east from there, too,

01:03because that wall of water also made its way further downstream east of Comfort toward Canyon Lake.

01:10So we're talking about a very significant area here that needs to be thoroughly searched.

01:14I believe the area, John, is over 130 miles,

01:17and remember, there's all this debris that has to be looked at,

01:21has to be cleared and looked under, so it's really a daunting task.

01:26But the question we answer, we've been trying to answer, John,

01:29we know the meteorology was where it needed to be with the warnings

01:34and the timeliness of the warnings,

01:36so the question is, is how do we go forward?

01:40Well, the flash flooding, the realities of flash flooding

01:43is that flash flooding remains in increasing danger.

01:46Of course, it's always been part of the climatology of the United States,

01:49especially in areas of steep terrain like the Texas Hill Country,

01:53but climate change is making these extreme rainfall events even more likely.

01:58So that means that this will remain an increasing danger that we cannot stop.

02:03However, proactive action saves lives based on acting immediately on flash flood warnings.

02:09If you're in a low-lying area near a creek, stream, or river,

02:12that's when you want to move to higher ground.

02:14When you get that flash flood warning,

02:17which in this case was issued more than three hours

02:20before the peak of the flash flooding arrived,

02:23giving ample time for people to seek higher ground,

02:26sometimes it's just a few feet more in elevation

02:29to get you out of the greatest risk area.

02:32And, of course, it's the responsibility of the public officials

02:35and all businesses to ensure safety

02:38and take action properly based upon those flash flood warnings.

02:42And, John, your experience not only as a chief meteorologist,

02:45but with weather policy, you spend a lot of time with government agencies,

02:50whether it's FEMA or our friends at the National Weather Service

02:53or even our AFB service, our AccuWeather for Business Service,

02:57where we provide tailor warnings for specific areas.

03:02We kind of came up with some recommendations as we go forward.

03:07Yeah, here's some thoughts for summer camps

03:09and also all businesses, really, in order to ensure safety,

03:13utilizing AccuWeather's warnings with proven superior accuracy.

03:17We often deliver more advance notice than any other source,

03:20better descriptions to help businesses

03:22and government agencies keep people safer.

03:25That's why we serve over half the Fortune 500s

03:28and thousands of other companies here at AccuWeather.

03:30You have to have, at each business, somebody who's responsible

03:34for monitoring warnings 24 by 7,

03:37just like a location would manage physical security.

03:41Somebody must be on watch 24-7.

03:44If somebody's going to be on shift for that

03:46and then shift it over to another person

03:48and make sure that that is handled 24 by 7,

03:51outdoor warning sirens and other ways of getting those warnings out

03:54can be very helpful at a camp or another location like that

03:58where there are a large number of people that may be sleeping.

04:01So at the site, those outdoor warning sirens can be helpful.

04:05And it's important that there be a known procedure

04:07for every type of severe weather, including flash flooding.

04:11What are people going to do if a flash flood warning is issued?

04:15And that not only is that procedure known by all staff members,

04:18but it's rehearsed frequently.

04:20This is very important.

04:22You want it to be second nature

04:23so that when people come into a summer camp

04:26or they come to an RV park or any other business,

04:29they know what's going to happen if a flash flood warning is issued

04:32and they've practiced it so that when it happens

04:34in the middle of the night, they can act fast.

04:37And it's always important to have multiple ways

04:39of getting warnings here at AccuWeather.

04:41Many of our business customers,

04:42we provide the ability for those customers

04:44to confirm they've received that warning.

04:46At Bernie, if we don't hear from them within a minute or two

04:48on a high-priority warning,

04:49we're on the phone calling them to make sure they've received it.

04:52AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter.

04:55Thanks for joining us here.

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