Austin officials remind people of resources to check roads during flooding conditions

AUSTIN, Texas - After Monday's heavy rain, the City of Austin wants to remind the public of a resource available to see what roads are safe during flooding conditions.

"It's been a long time since we've seen some heavy rain like this. Things can change in an instant. This is a flash flood alley, so we are prone to flooding, and it could happen very quickly around here," said Scott Prinsen, Program Manager with the City of Austin Flood Warning System.

According to the Lower Colorado River Authority website, the City of Austin saw anywhere between below an inch to over 3 inches of rainfall in the past 24 hours. 

"The core of the heaviest rains actually fell over the middle of the city," said Prinsen.

Prinsen says Monday’s rainstorms flooded two roads in the downtown area. How they were able to relay that information to the public is through a resource put in place about a decade ago called ATXfloods.com.

"It's an excellent situational awareness tool that we share with the public that allows everyone to basically see what roads and low water crossings are closed across the Austin and Central Texas area," he said.

The site provides real-time updates of what roads in Austin and neighboring areas are safe or flooded. Information comes through officials in the field, 311 reports, or city cameras.

"This is just a wonderful situational awareness tool that we have to really get a good bearing on what's happening with our roads during flooding and even after flooding. There's a lot of them across town, and it doesn't take much to overtop some of these crossings with some high water," said Prinsen.

City officials say it's best to stay off the roads when it is raining, but if you have to drive, check ATXfloods.com before heading out.