San antonio Faces Deadliestโ Flood Year in Over Two Decades
San Antonio, TX โข – Flashโ floods โhave claimed at least 13 lives in and around San Antonio this year, marking the city’s deadliest flood seasonโข since the devastating “Great Flood” of 1998. โคRecent torrential rainfall, coupledโฃ with storms โstriking during peak commuting hours, has created a particularly hazardous habitat for drivers, contributing toโ the โhigh number of fatalities.
The surge in flood-related deaths underscores the ongoing โคvulnerability โof San Antonio despite decades of โคflood-control infrastructureโฃ investments. โWhile the city continues to grapple with the immediate aftermath of โrecentโฃ storms, state lawmakers are considering measures to โคbolster flood warning systemsโ and improve safety equipment across Texas, including โคa potential $50 million allocation earmarked for affected โareas like Bexar County.
Recent storms in May and September brought record rainfall, exacerbating the risk. โ Eleven of the victims died while in vehicles,โข a statistic mirroringโข national flash flood fatality data, according to city officials.theโค timing of the storms – early morning โฃand late night -โ substantially โreducedโข visibility and increased the likelihood โคof drivers encountering high water โฃunexpectedly.
“Turn Around,Don’t Drown” remains a โcritical message,officials emphasize,as even seemingly shallow water can quickly become deadly. The losses highlight theโ persistent threat of flash flooding in the region, even with existing flood-control projects.
Texas Senate Bill 5, recently passed during aโ special legislative session, is awaiting Governor Abbott’s signature.โ The billโ proposes utilizing $50 million from theโ state’s Economic Stabilization Fund to install flood warning โคsirens, expand โขweather โgauge networks, and โขprocure other safety equipment statewide. The โฃtwo-year fund would be accessible โto local โgovernments, including those in Bexar County, with the goal of preventing future tragedies. San Antonio is already experiencing its most lethal flood year โฃin โ27 โyears, prompting urgent calls for increased โpreparedness and preventativeโข measures.
