WATCH: Trinity River Near Downtown Dallas Near "Major Flood" Stage
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — The Trinity River is a sight to see right now. All that water had pushed its levels to the highest in years.
The Office of Emergency Management had been getting reports throughout the day of people entering the levee floodway on foot, and sure enough crowds have been seen walking right up to the water to get a closer look and take photos.
The OEM is urging people not to do this. They stress that these are not calm waters. This is moving floodwater. Even though it does not appear to be moving rapidly, people getting too close run the risk of getting swept away easily.
It's also dark, murky water that can hide dangerous debris. That hasn't stopped spectators including families with young children from walking right down to the water's edge to pose for photos. For Blanca Flores, who came for a look, it was enough to watch the water from a safer distance.
"The rivers, they just go up so fast. You don't know. They're there, like the next minute the water is just moving so fast, so I have respect for the river," Flores said.
The Trinity has now climbed above 40 feet and is forecasted to crest tomorrow afternoon. This is the highest it's been since 2010. The OEM reminds everyone the river has about 26 miles of bank in Dallas, so they can't patrol all of it, and they need the public's help to prevent accidents.
When it's dark, the lack of lighting is also a problem if anyone falls in and needs to be rescued, so they're asking everyone to stay away from dangerous areas around the Trinity.
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