Heavy rain from the remnants of former Hurricane Polo flooded Fort Worth streets on Thursday, closing a stretch of Interstate 30, sending sewage out of two city lines and keeping firefighters busy pulling drivers from stalled cars.
The Fort Worth Fire Department responded to at least 20 high-water rescue calls during the day, KRLD reported Friday. By noon, fire and medical crews had already handled more than 400 calls, close to the roughly 500 they handle on a typical full day. The department reported no deaths or injuries from flooding or high water.
Video published by The Weather Channel showed a firefighter wading into fast-moving water to lift a stranded driver to safety.
Roads and power
All westbound lanes of I-30 at Chapel Creek Boulevard closed because of high water Thursday morning, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Fort Worth police answered at least seven water emergency calls involving stranded motorists by mid-morning.
Oncor reported more than 6,800 customers without power in Tarrant County as of 9:50 a.m., and more than 200 departures from DFW International Airport were delayed, with over 80 canceled by 9 a.m.
Flash flood warnings covered Tarrant, Dallas and Denton counties through 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Across the Metroplex, totals that day ran from just under 3 inches to nearly 6 inches, according to CBS News Texas.
Sewage released at two sites
The city reported Thursday evening that two sanitary sewers had overflowed because of the rain, according to CBS News Texas. One, in the 7000 block of Enterprise Avenue west of Handley Ederville Road, was releasing an estimated 1,000 gallons a minute. The other, in Greenway Park, was releasing about 300 gallons a minute.
