RUSK COUNTY, Texas — On Thursday, severe flash flooding impacted many parts of East Texas, causing many roads and areas to be impassable.
As the rushing waters settle and clear out, Rusk County Fire Marshal Patrick Dooley stressed residents should be aware of posted warnings as they may not always know how deep a flooded area is.
"Small streams have now turned into roaring rapids basically," Dooley said. "Some places have received five, some received eight inches of rain in a very, very extended amount of time."
Less than a mile into County Road 447 drivers could see a major portion of the roadway engulfed in flowing water. It was at the point where you could not see the other side of the road. That portion of the road was closed off by the fire marshal's team.
Dooley said you do not want to be driving through a situation like that because you do not know how deep the water could possibly be. He said it's best to find an alternate route rather than risking the drive.
"You can take a county road and the next thing you know you take a 20-foot drop because you don't see it going through there," Dooley said.
The Rusk County Office of Emergency Management shared a photo of a significantly washout road on County Road 361 and said at one point it was covered in water. Thankfully on Thursday, it was covered and is now passable again.
Rusk County wasn’t the only area severely impacted by flash floods. Banita Creek Hall in Nacogdoches suffered major damage after the rain pushed a nearby creek up over its banks.
"We had to wait because the current was really strong to see if we can get anywhere near here," said Jonathan Aviles, social media manager for the venue. "It took about an hour before we had the guts to cross the current and get in there."
Aviles said there was about a foot of water inside the venue with mud covering the dance floor. Scenarios like that led to Nacogdoches County Judge Greg Sowell issuing a disaster declaration.
Dooley said as of Thursday there may still be some road closures to keep an eye out for in Rusk County.
"If there are barricades up, do not cross those barricades; they are up for a reason," Dooley said. "We don't just put them there just because they're up for a reason. The county could still be doing damage assessment out there on the roads."