Montgomery County's emergency management team is deployed hundreds of miles from home, helping respond to Nueces River flooding expected to push water miles from its banks when the river crests near 40 feet Friday, July 31.
Several members of the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management have been operating around the clock in the Texas Coastal Bend alongside more than 100 first responders from across the state, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter. The team is serving on three state-level response structures: the All Hazards Response Team, the Texas Incident Management Team, and the Texas Incident Support Task Force, providing emergency management support in McMullen and Live Oak counties.
Heavy rains in mid-July triggered the disaster. Floodwaters have been moving downstream ever since, and the situation is still escalating.
Flood conditions
At Tilden in McMullen County, the Nueces River measured 22.53 feet at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 29, after cresting near 23.5 feet Tuesday, July 28. That is well above the 14-foot flood stage and the 19-foot major flood stage. The National Weather Service said Tilden will remain in major flood conditions for several more days.
Downstream near Three Rivers in Live Oak County, the river stood at 15.99 feet early Wednesday and was expected to reach flood stage later that day, climb above the 35-foot major flood stage overnight, and approach 40 feet by Friday, July 31.
At 40 feet, "significant flooding reaches miles from the main channel, flooding homes in the flood plain near Three Rivers to Lake Corpus Christi," according to NOAA guidance cited by mySA.com. The projected crest would rival a similar flood in July 2007.
Multiagency response
Mark Trevino with the San Antonio Fire Department, deployed to Live Oak County as part of the Alamo Area All Hazards Incident Management Team, told KSAT on Wednesday that responders were able to get ahead of the danger this time.
"This time we're here early," Trevino said. "We're able to set up, get shelters spun up a little bit, get evacuation notices going out."
The response also includes the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and specialized rescue teams equipped with boats and helicopters. More than 300 first responders responded statewide during the initial mid-July flooding in La Salle County, where the Nueces River at Cotulla rose to 28.96 feet, the highest in more than a decade, according to Yahoo News.
Local deployment details
The county has not said how many OHSEM personnel are deployed or how long the mission will last.
Live Oak County has not issued mandatory evacuations but is encouraging residents in flood-prone areas to leave if conditions worsen. Emergency shelters are being prepared for families, people with special medical needs, and pets, with buses available for those who cannot self-evacuate.
Residents in affected areas can call 211 for shelter and disaster resource information or 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
