Amarillo City Council votes to extend flooding disaster declaration

The Amarillo City Council held a special meeting Thursday to discuss extending Mayor Cole Stanley's disaster declaration for the city by another 30 days. By unanimous vote, the council extended the declaration, as well as approved funding for a temporary pump that is being used to drain water from the Greenways playa lake that has flooded homes just south of the city's limits.

Stanley said the 30-day extension would allow the city to be more effective in helping its residents and businesses that have been adversely affected by flooding. Issues with flooding from the city-controlled Greenways playa have left homeowners on 77th Street unable to return to their homes, with many facing extensive damage to their properties.

"We would hope that within 30 days, we’ll have a significant receding of all the waters, and all of the pumps will work like we need them to," Stanley said. "We need to evaluate the damage and see to the extent … as best we can before we move out of this phase and close the book. Thirty days is what we are attempting to do. We believe that this will be adequate for us moving forward."

Also approved during the special session was $98,965.68 in funding for renting a temporary pump at Greenways playa lake. The cost of the pump will be shared with Randall County according to Floyd Hartman, assistant city manager for Amarillo. This money will come from the playa lake maintenance funding in the city's budget.

The pump has been installed at the Greenways playa lake since last week but is limited to pumping to McDonald Lake, which has been at capacity and has slowed down the process.

"That pump can pump to a gravity flow main that pumped up McDonald Lake," Hartman added.

He said that the McDonald Lake pumps have been in operation at all times except when it is raining, due to the system not being able to handle the overflow and drainage of other areas in those circumstances.

During the public comment portion, Christine Andrews, owner of South Georgia Laundry, said that her business has not been able to operate over the past week due to flooding from Lawrence Lake. The area had to be evacuated early Thursday morning due to an overflow from Lawrence Lake. This flooding left her business surrounded by water on all sides.

"The city has had years since the last heavy rainfall event to evaluate these problems, devise some plans, fund those plans and update infrastructure," she said. "Yet here we are with many businesses and homes sustaining damage, unable to provide services or to live in their own space, unable to collect tax dollars to help fund your budget and watching our American dreams float down Paramount, Olsen or, like us, 45th Avenue."

Other comments were directed on the effect of the draining of the local areas on outlying areas, which has done damage to properties with trees, trash, sinkholes and other issues that residents in those areas are facing.

Justin Wan, a resident of Mockingbird Lane which was flooded by early morning rains, expressed frustration about all the trash that is floating through the neighborhood. He also did not feel that the pumps were being utilized properly to drain the lake. According to him, his property has been flooded four times from overflow at the lake.

Stanley spoke with the media after the meeting to talk about the city's response and efforts to help residents affected by flooding. He stated that if rains let up from the unprecedented weather, the city should be able to make progress in getting the problem areas drained.

Stanley was asked about the concerns of residents just outside of the city, which has been flooded across from Greenways playa lake. Residents in the area have stated that neither the city nor the county was very responsive to their needs over the past week.

"The confusion that exists is they are right in between multiple agencies that want to help them," Stanley said. "We did try to reach each and every individual over there by knocking on doors and leaving information. We have also asked for Randall County to also reach out to those individuals. We want them to get to the resources that we have."

He urged those residents to reach out to the county, city, and other entities like the Red Cross that could get residents the help they need. Stanley said he had spoken to individuals in the area and tried to get them to the right areas for help.

Many in the area feel that the city did not do its due diligence with its drainage plan to use the Greenways playa with all the development that has been done in the area.

"We are doing a full evaluation of that playa. We are going to go back and look at what the 100-year flood plain looks like. ... This changes some insurance capabilities for these residences," Stanley said.

Another pump, with pipes running underneath Paramount, is working on the water levels in Lawrence Lake, with minimal traffic being interrupted, according to the city, with the water heading into the storm drains.

Stanley said that the city will do a full evaluation of the drainage going to the Greenways playa lake and see what the city can do about it.

"We will, as mayor and council with staff, will be part of the solution, not part of the next problem," he said.

A center has also been set up at the Home Depot on Georgia to assist flood victims in retrieving items from their homes. The Amarillo Fire and Police Departments, with assistance from the National Guard, is assisting these residents retrieve pets, medications and people as resources allow.

As of 2:30 p.m. Friday, approximately 852 customers were still without power in the flooded areas around Lawrence Lake, according to the Xcel Energy outage map online.

In addition, the Randall County Fire Station Event Center at 1111 S Loop 335 hosted the multi-agency resource center, with multiple assistance agencies available to Amarillo area residents who are displaced and affected by recent flooding on hand Thursday and Friday. Resources and agency officials were available to help residents get information and assistance. Depending on how needs arise, the center may be set up again in about a week; in the meantime, those who need assistance may dial 2-1-1.