Is it just me, or are others out there wondering about the quality of our storm-drain system in Amarillo?
My wife and I have lived here now for slightly more than 20 years. My memory at times is a bit foggy, but I’m pretty sure this is the worst rain event we’ve seen since we moved here from the Gulf Coast — where we used to get a lot of rain in a very short period of time.
The city has its hands full this Memorial Day weekend. We just came back from a grocery run and discovered water had flooded from McDonald Lake, across Coulter. Motor vehicles were stalled asĀ motorists tried to slosh their way through the muddy water.
Us? We were OK, as we drove our big ol’ 3/4-ton truck through it without any difficulty.
In our two-decades plus here, this is the first time we’ve seen that much water across Coulter.
The other traditional trouble spots I’m quite certain are disasters this morning.
Well, once City Hall gets through this situation, I’m hoping the city’s senior administrative staff sits down and has a serious after-action meeting to discuss ways to improve matters for the next big rain event.
It also might be good for City Manager Jarrett Atkinson and Mayor Paul Harpole to conduct a press conference to explain — in detail — what happened out there and whether the city has any plans afoot to try to correct it. You know, things like drainage construction or perhaps fine-tuning its emergency response — if it’s needed — to help folks cope with what this most unusual weather event.
It’s been a long time coming. Most of us are quite grateful for the moisture (a term that seems quaint, given the volume of water that’s fallen from the sky).
Residents of a modernĀ American city, though, shouldn’t have to worry about flooding every timeĀ it pours.
Or is this what we can expect — all the time?