Abbott Asking Texans To Stay Weather-Aware
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AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) - As Tropical Depression Bill and its remnants blow through Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is sending an urgent message to residents.
He said that everyone must watch for rapidly rising water and listen to local officials who may order evacuations if necessary. The governor added that the state has key agencies, people and equipment in place to help save lives.
"The emergency management teams are working with local officials, national officials to ensure that we have all the assets in place to make sure we can assist anybody who is in danger," Abbott said.
Rising water can be deceiving, Abbott explained. "Water can rise so quickly and people don't understand it," he said. "People are driving down a roadway they feel is otherwise flat. It goes down a little bit and they get stuck in the water."
Among those watching the weather is Ray Canfield, owner of the Shoal Creek Saloon in Austin. He said that he is nervous that Shoal Creek behind his restaurant is going to rise and flood his business for a second time since Memorial Day weekend.
Surveillance video from Canfield's restaurant shows how quickly water from the creek invaded it. He said that the restaurant was closed for five days and that he is still tallying losses. "We got a brand new kitchen, all new refrigeration behind the bars, all of our soda fountains got redone, walk-in coolers, everything, even our parking lot got redone."
Canfield says that he has placed sandbags around his restaurant to protect it from any more water.
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