Rich on the Road

South of Tin Top

The Brazos is rising but not as fast as we feared it might. Flood stage is 25 feet. It's over that now and expected to crest at about 28 feet -- bad but not catastrophic.

David Tafalla and I are working out of the satellite truck at a boat ramp where FM 2580 crosses the Brazos just south of Tin Top. The flood of '91 was the last one here and it had water lapping at the bottom of the bridge. It will have to go 10-15 feet higher to do that again. And, if it does, where we're at now will be under water. But we've set out markers to keep track of how fast the river is rising and in the four or five hours we've been here it's only gone up a couple of inches. We've also got the news vehicle pointed toward higher ground.

Three floodgates have been opened at Possum Kingdom Lake. It will take a few more hours for that water to get here. Local authorities seem to think if the Corps of Engineers doesn't open up a 4th floodgate, things shouldn't get much worse.

Tin Top volunteer firefighters, sheriff's deputies, and EMT's are standing by here -- along with a fluctauating crowd of spectators. Across the river we watched a couple of yahoos try to launch a rubber raft in the river. Stopped by the firefighters they left, vowing to launch elsewhere. Not smart but about par for the course in this kind of event.

It has sprinkled on and off here but skies are clearing.
Fingers are crossed.

Rich