Travis County is urging the public to monitor local media for emergency weather alerts due to the strong potential for flooding this weekend. Central Texas is well known as “Flash Flood Alley” because heavy rain can, and has in the past, become life-threatening all too quickly.
This weekend, key departments from Travis County and the City of Austin are staffing the emergency operations center (EOC) to monitor the weather situation and the Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix. Thousands of visitors are also attending the University of Texas football game and high school football games when heavy rain and potential flooding are in the forecast. With so many visitors, who may not be aware of the dangers of flooding, the County asks everyone to remember and spread the message of “Turn around. Don’t Drown.” Seek higher ground when faced with flooding.
STAR Flight is staffing two aircraft on 24-hour shifts, Friday through Sunday, to perform swift-water rescues and respond to emergencies as needed. In addition, STAR Flight asks drone operators to stay away from evolving emergency situations for the safety of emergency responders. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for commercial purposes is prohibited without approval from the FAA. For more information, go to: https://www.faa.gov/uas/faq/#qn2.
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office reminds the public to never drive around a barricade. Driving around a barricade is a crime, and it is life threatening. Sheriff’s deputies are on patrol, will report low-water crossing closures to atxfloods.com, and are ready to respond to emergencies.
Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources Road and Bridge crews have additional emergency response crews on standby starting tonight and lasting through the weekend. They have also pre-staged barricades and signage at well-know, low-water crossings.
In addition to monitoring local weather reports, the public can also find emergency message updates at Travis County Emergency Services Facebook (TravisCoEmergencyServices) and Twitter (@TravisCountyES) pages. For anyone who is not on social media, emergency messages are posted on the Travis County homepage at: www.traviscountytx.gov. Low-water crossing closure information is available at: atxfloods.com.
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Submitted by: Travis County Emergency Services PIO Lisa Block, Tel: 512-854-7954
