Austin showed how well it can pull together this week when residents, emergency personnel and volunteers pulled together in coping with the worst flooding of the season.

Wednesday, July 12, 2000

Austin showed how well it can pull together this week when residents, emergency personnel and volunteers pulled together in coping with the worst flooding of the season.

While traffic snarled through the downtown section most of the day, flood waters rose in the northeast, southeast and southwest sections of the city. The flood waters were rising, but tempers remained cool throughout most of the emergency.

It was tough getting around town, with many experiencing trips of up to 50 minutes to make it from one side of town to downtown. Intersections were blocked by flood waters, forcing many to turn around and try alternate routes in an effort to get from Point A to Point B.

But what really caused problems were the sightseers. Traffic was snarled through Austin because Interstate 90 was shut down most of the day on Monday. Motorists who had a good reason to be on the road had to deal with people who wanted to see what the flooding looked like around the city.

These rubberneckers caused problems with those who had a legitimate need to be on the road or those who were attempting to help others. To those who "had to experience" Austin’s worst flood of the season let alone perhaps a couple of decades, wait until the emergency has subsided before you add to the congestion on the roadways. It might make a difference between life or death for someone waiting for emergency personnel.