New Unexpected Danger Looms As Texas Flood Waters Recede

Kingsland, Texas and the rest of the state has been reeling with countless tragedies following the flash flooding that began over two weeks ago as many of the rivers in Central Texas and Hill Country swelled as much as 30 plus feet in only a few hours. Thankfully the worst of the floods are behind us, but now comes all kinds of new dangers like debris in the water when swimming or boating, and a massive influx of mosquitos.

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Who has helped the most with the flash flood recover in Texas?

In true Lone Star State fashion, Texans have been stepping up around the clock for their fellow neighbors and friends with several fundraisers already occurring and many more scheduled to be held over the coming weeks.

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My family lives in Temple, but we spend most of our recreational time on the waterways of Central Texas and Hill Country, including retreating to a house on Lake LBJ in Kingsland that is south of the dams at Buchanan and Inks Lake State Park. The lakes there are kept at a constant depth all year round, and yet even those waterways were overrun due to the Llano River flooding long before the flood pool gates opened at the lakes up river.

How does high water levels affect quality of life around large bodies of water?

You can see in this picture above that the water rose well above the dock when it is always a couple feet below due to a static water level on Lake LBJ. In fact, the sundeck above is normally almost 15 feet above the water level, and that distance was cut in half because of the flooding.

What precautions should we take while re-entering the lakes of Central Texas?

According to this KVUE article, you are asked to not boat after dark, and do not swim or boat into areas that have low visibility due to all the debris in the water. Additionally, E.coli and other harmful material rushes into the waterways because of runoff, so you should avoid any area that has a foul smell.

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Why do we need to be extra careful about mosquitos following the flash flooding?

All of this excess water in areas that are often long dried out will bring a boom to the mosquito population, and this time of year you always have to be on the look out for West Nile Virus.