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Late August flooding damage proves costly

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AccuWeather Global Weather Center –AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers estimate the total damage and economic loss resulting from the significant flash flooding in Dallas Sunday, Aug. 21 and Monday Aug. 22 would range between $4.5 billion and $6 billion.

“As AccuWeather accurately predicted at least 6 days in advance, slow-moving, heavy thunderstorms dumped copious amounts of rain on the sprawling region in a short period of time.  AccuWeather also warned of the risk for rapid runoff due to the dry landscape and hard soils, leading to overflowing rivers and streams. ‘Drenching, drought-easing, deluge and dangerous’ were terms that AccuWeather meteorologists specifically used to describe the unfolding event and communicate the risk to people businesses and communities.  AccuWeather expert meteorologists accurately predicted that extreme rainfall rates of 2-4 inches per hour would lead to rapidly rising water and a quickly escalating dangerous flash flood emergency. 

“Within a couple of hours, reports of street flooding were already pouring in, and by and Monday afternoon, parts of the city picked up 8-12 inches of rain with some localized amounts of more than 15 inches. By Monday evening, the flooding had tragically already turned deadly when it was reported that a 60-year-old woman was killed when her vehicle was swept away in the flood waters.”

Myers, who has been studying the economic impact of severe weather for over 50 years, said, “Our estimate largely accounts for damage to homes, businesses, roadways and vehicles as well as power outages, which resulted in food spoilage that will be expensive to replace due to recent inflation. Flight and school cancellations and delays and significant delays to shipping and supply chain within one of the country’s major economic hubs were also contributing factors to the economic toll of the storm.” 

Myers estimate is based on an analysis incorporating independent methods to evaluate all direct and indirect impacts of the storm, includes both insured and uninsured losses, and is based on a variety of sources, statistics, and unique techniques AccuWeather uses to estimate the damage, and includes damage to property, job and wage losses, infrastructure damage, auxiliary business losses and medical expenses. The estimate also accounts for the costs of evacuations, relocations, emergency management and the extraordinary government and private expenses for and cleanup operations and the long-term effects on business logistics, transportation, tourism and the tail health effects resulting from flooding and the disease caused by standing water.

Additional storms in Dallas and Ellis County over Labor Day weekend brought even more damage as high winds and hail pounded the area in later afternoon storms on Saturday and Sunday. Power was knocked out in many communities around Cedar Hill State Park, as well as the park for about 12 hours.

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Montague County Animal Shelter taking shape, shoots for early 2025 opening

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The Montague County Animal Shelter is taking shape with a main kennel almost complete and a portable building place this past week to serve as an office.
It was 10 months ago the county commissioner’s court approved the project using some Senate Bill 22 grant funds in the sheriff’s office and county funds or the project. Sheriff Marshall Thomas included one new deputy position and a pickup for animal control in the grant budget.
The overall project was estimated to run anywhere from $185,000 to $200,000.
There are three animal shelters that operate in Montague County in Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo. Only Bowie is city operates, but all three operate with an active volunteer 501c3 group.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

Pictured – HVAC was installed in the new animal shelter kennel building recently. (Courtesy photo)

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Bowie Council handles brief agenda of business

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By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
It took members of the Bowie City Council less than 20 minutes to handle their brief agenda of business on Oct. 28.
There were infrastructure project reports, the quarterly hotel/motel tax report and resolutions connected to grant applications.
City Manager Bert Cunningham said he does not anticipate the contractor for the Nelson Street project to complete the remaining work by the Oct. 31 deadline. If that happens, the city will start assessing the $700 per day penalty allowed through the contract.
The nearly $3 million project hit the one-year mark, which also was the approximate completion time pending weather; however, MX Construction of McKinney has delayed completion of several areas and made errors that had to be corrected. The company also requested about one month ago “rain days,” which occurred early in the project.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

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Rainfall gives Montague County a needed drink

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After nearly several months of virtually no significant rainfall and a growing drought, Montague County and North Texas finally got some decent rainfall during the weekend and on Monday.
While thunderstorms threatened Saturday heavy thunder and wind did not come until Sunday night. Monday morning there was a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch for the county, and both were cancelled late in the morning.
There was no damage reported to local officials around Montague County, with some reports of low-lying flooding and some downed limbs.
Clay County Judge Mike Campbell reported Sunday “a small, but powerful tornado,” hit an area from Farm-to-Market Road 171 to Carpenter Road near Byers.
Rainfall reports in the county range from eight inches around Nocona and 5 inches in Bowie.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

This home in the Byers area saw the roof torn off in Sunday’s storm. (Courtesy photo)
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