Background

Fort Cavazos is located on the northern edge of the Texas Hill Country in southwestern Bell and southeastern Coryell counties. The area is characterized by rolling hills, shallow soils, woodlands, prairies, and rocky streams that are highly conducive to flash flooding. Fort Cavazos also lies in the middle of a curve that follows the Balcones Escarpment from Dallas to San Antonio and west to Uvalde.  Here warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico often collides with cold fronts from the north resulting in atmospheric instability that produce heavy rainfall and rapid storm runoff.  This area has the nickname “Flash Flood Alley” and carries a heavy burden of unfortunate accidents and loss-of-life statistics.

Flash flooding events pose an ever-present threat at Fort Cavazos where both military and civilian traffic must pass through numerous low water crossings daily. Most of the time these streams flow with waters less than a foot or two in depth but during periods of heavy rainfall they rapidly increase to dangerous, impassable conditions. During storm events Fort Cavazos officials from multiple agencies interact to consult a variety of data sources, evaluate rapidly evolving conditions, provide advisories and warnings, and coordinate response actions.

As floods are not an everyday occurrence, people often forget their devastating effects; remaining constantly vigilant is the most difficult part of operating a flood alert system. Texas A&M AgriLife is assisting Fort Cavazos officials with the refinement and documentation of high-water safety procedures to provide long-term stability of Fort Cavazos' Flood Warning Program.