Rich on the Road

Flood Chasing in Parker County

I had other plans for tonght but the deadly deluge of 2007 has intervened.
Photographer David Tafalla and I are headed for Parker County where the Brazos River is over its banks and forcing evacuations. Photographer Paul Beam has been shooting video in a subdivision south of Weatherford called Horseshoe Bend -- where folks are packing up and getting out -- one of five communities along the Brazos that have been declared disaster areas and where residents have been ordered to evacuate by Parker County Judge Mark Riley.

That's the area I'll be concentrating on tonight (unless events take us elsewhere) so I will try to keep you updated here on what David and I encounter. We will, of course, be filing stories at 5,6.9 and 10 on Fox4. We'll hook up with Paul and the Sky 4 team, gather the video and begin to produce packaged and live reports.

Just weeks ago Possum Kingdom Lake was down by several feet. Now it's full and the Corps of Engineers has been forced to open flood gates -- threatening communities all aong the river to Lake Granbury and beyond. Flood stage is 16 feet. The Brazos is still rising and could crest above 21 feet tonight.

Pray for the rain to cease.

We'll keep you posted.

Rich