County authorities get ready for stormy week

The weather update that Williamson County emergency management director Michael Shoe got Tuesday morning came as most storm activity was along the coast line but rain is expected to start showing up soon in Central Texas.

"It’s a blue sky day today but tonight it could be a lot worse," said Shoe.

There's the possibility the rain event could go into the weekend, which is why Shoe has scheduled a weather preparedness conference call with local first responders.

"It’s a coordination call, we have all the jurisdictions on. I ask them what they were manning, what their statuses are,  and what resources they have available for tonight," Shoe said.

In Travis County, equipment that monitors the flow of storm water is being checked. The data is critical and is posted on the ATXFloods website

Officials with Austin Public Works say crews have also started clearing debris from some low-water crossings. Several roads around Manor are notorious for flash flooding. While some improvements have been made like those along Parsons Road but it hasn’t eliminated the threat, as seen in a recent high water rescue by Starflight in June along Wilbarger Creek. Video of the lift was also recorded by a Manor police dash camera.

To help with future rescues, Marshall Surovik and another Manor patrol officer have completed a swift water rescue certification course. An important lesson he says is how unpredictable fast moving water can be.

"It’s gonna be a little trickier than you would think. A lot of the areas there’s a lot of fence lines, fields that get flooded so you really don’t know what you’re going to go into," said Officer Surovik.

That unknown is why Officer Surovik will keep his swift wage gear packed and ready and his message for drivers to the point.

"I want them to understand that especially if it doesn’t rain period of time, the Ground is really hard so if it’s a flash flood the water is just gonna sweep away the ground isn't gonna soak it up, if you see water going over a roadway over a bridge call 311 to report it if you do get stranded call 911 to report that turn around don’t drown basically," said Surovik.

Track your local forecast for the Austin area quickly with the free FOX 7 WAPP. The design gives you radar, hourly, and 7-day weather information just by scrolling. Our weather alerts will warn you early and help you stay safe during storms.
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