Rains strand motorist, damage parks Monday night
Glynis Crawford Smith/The Highlander
City of Marble Falls Parks & Recreation staff clear debris from Johnson Park Tuesday morning, Nov. 8. Over night Backbone Creek escaped its banks, covering the foot bridge and leaving high water marks in trees along the banks. It washed over and damaged the Avenue J bridge and straded a motorist, who had to be rescued from the roof of his car. See more images at The-Highlander Facebook page: http://bit.ly/2fXO6rH
By Glynis Crawford Smith
The Highlander
Monday night's downpour was concentrated into Backbone Creek tributaries, causing damage to Marble Falls parks and calling first responders into action to rescue a motorist stranded on the Avenue J bridge at Johnson Park.
Just after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, Nov. 8, the call came in from the driver on the roof of his car, according to Capt. Glenn Hanson of the Marble Falls Police Department. Hanson identified the man as Spencer Loftis, but he said the police had no more information on him than the fact that he drove a four-door Lincoln.
“Water was washing over bridge, but the guy drove into water above headlight level of vehicle,” said Hanson. “It stalled and he was stranded.”
“Two firefighters entered the water and took a life jacket to the victim and walked him out,” said Russell Sander, chief of Marble Falls Fire Rescue. “The water was rising fast. People on the scene said that in the 20 minutes they had been there, the water had risen 18 inches.”
The rising flood eventually covered the Johnson Park foot bridge and carried so much heave timber down Backbone Creek that it broke the rail on the walkway of the Avenue J bridge and a picnic bench on the downstream north shore. It poured over the sharp drop below the bridge that footings appeared to be damaged.
A tow truck was finally able to retrieve the truck at 6:48 a.m., according to Hanson.
Despite the fact that two police vehicles also sustained engine damage operating in high water, Hanson's message to civilian motorists is consistent: “We always repeat, turn around don't drown.”
Robert Moss, director of Parks and Recreation for Marble Falls, said Thursday that his department was beginning to get a clearer picture of all the damage to city parks.
“Johnson Park sustained most of the damage with washed out volleyball courts, gullies created in several areas of park land, damage to the irrigation system, banks washed out, and damage to pedestrian and vehicle bridges,” he said. “In Westside Park, there was significant damage to the disc golf course.”
Other damage includes minor washouts and debris clean up at several low water crossings and damaged barricades at Broadway and Childers Park.”
“But there was damage all over town (by streams).”
Rain had been spotty around the Highland Lakes over the weekend, but flooding in the central parks was likely compounded by rain that fell right there.
Hanson, who lives nearby said his gage had registered 3.5 inches and 2.5 inches on successive nights before the 2 inches he collected overnight from Sunday to Monday.
