“I have heard this called a once-in-1,000-year[s] weather event,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, during an Aug. 23 press conference. “We got hit pretty hard, and we got hit in a historic way. The sky opened up and soon after our streets closed down; the storm was immense.”
The weather caused extensive flooding in the city with some areas in East Dallas receiving up to 15 inches of floodwater, according to the National Weather Service. Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking federal assistance for flood damages caused by the storm.
Abbott declared the damages a state disaster during the Aug. 23 meeting at the Dallas City Hall Emergency Operations Center. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared it a county emergency Aug. 22 for area residents.
“In order to get federal public assistance from [the Federal Emergency Management Agency], our state needs to recognize a little under $50 million of uninsured loss to public property,” said W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
Abbott said for the state and local regions to qualify for federal assistance, agencies need damage assessments. Those affected in the North Texas region are encouraged to take the following steps, according to Abbott.
Those with insurance should call and file a claim. If a resident does not have insurance, they are encouraged call an insurance agent.
Use the Texas Division of Emergency Management self-reporting damage assessment tool called iSTAT that can be found on www.damage.tdem.texas.gov.
“Our goal would be to try to have an early assessment of all of those damages by the end of this week,” Abbott said, adding that FEMA should announce more information on the state’s federal assistance status later this week.
The disaster declaration includes 23 Texas counties, including Dallas and Tarrant counties. Additional counties may be added as officials gather more data on affected areas.
“And while we are in the midst right now of a full damage assessment of our city, we do need people, as the governor mentioned, to report their damage to the Texas Division of Emergency Management,” Johnson said.
It is estimated that half of the properties in the flooding area do not have flood insurance coverage. According to Kidd, about 800 uninsured homes in the Dallas-Fort Worth region are believed to have been damaged by the Aug. 22 storm.
“We are going to do everything we can to help folks that have been impacted by the storm,” Johnson said.
Officials wanted to remind residents that flood dangers may still pose a threat. Parents are encouraged to keep their kids from playing in floodwaters, and drivers are expected to exercise caution.
“We have appeared to have passed through the most dangerous part of the storm, but there is still plenty of water out,” Kidd said.
The recent storm was an isolated event with a 1 in a 1,000 chance, according to area weather officials. Residents should prepare for more heavy rainstorms in the coming months, according to Jennifer Dunn, meteorologist for the National Weather Service covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“Sometimes with severe weather we do start getting more cold fronts coming down, and those cold fronts clash with that humid Gulf of Mexico air,” Dunn said. “As we go further into the fall, it's certainly possible that with the right setup again, we'll have another heavy rain event.”
According to the National Weather Service, the forecast shows a few light scattered showers expected to hit Dallas during the next week.
Erick Pirayesh contributed to this report.
