Transportation News, Volume 25, Number 9, May 2000 Page: 10
16 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 41 x 29 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
10 ibansportatlon News May 2000
"I apologize for the messy office, I apologize if I appear
unorganized, and I apologize if I look dead."
- Office Manager Mary Alice BrownWest Texas battles tornadoes
floods
By Patsy Rainwater-Maddux
San Angelo District
W est Texas weather is frequently the lead
story in the San Angelo Standard
Times.
Unfortunately, headlines during the first
months of the new millennium have men-
tioned the word "drought" numerous times
in the local newspaper.
In fact, throughout the years rain has
always been of special interest to the resi-
dents of the 15 counties in the San Angelo
District.
In 1910 the earlier publishers of the
Standard Times began a tradition that fea-
tures General Rainz, a rooster that is fea-
tured as part of the newspaper's nameplate.
As the tradition goes, following a substantial
rainfall in West Texas, General Rainz
appears again on the front page, crowing
next to the news story that reports at least
one-half inch of rain.
Beginning March 22, General Rainz could
have reported as much comp time as the 11
employees at the Sterling/Glasscock
Maintenance Section.
As the employees were ending their work
day, office manager Mary Alice Brown
received what she thought was a routine call
from Kenneth Schniers from the Garden
City maintenance office, located 32 miles
from Sterling City on Texas 158.
During the call, Schniers told Brown that
"something just hit the roof of the building."
That "something" was the beginning of a
storm that generated 358 hours of compen-
satory time for the 11 employees over a two-
day period. Most of these employees worked
36 hours, staffing the phone and radios, flag-
ging motorists to avoid water-covered roads
from 8 inches of rain and dodging tornadoes
and hail stones that were described as
"chunks of ice."
While early reports included 15 confirmed
tornadoes, Supervisor Shorty Radde said that
number was actually 22.
Maintenance techs Alberto Estrada and
Guillermo Resendez and assistant supervisor
Joe Rodriguez experienced three of these tor-
nadoes at one time.
The three employees, in two different
vehicles, turned around on US 87 to avoid
two tornadoes approaching them. While
Rodriguez followed the two techs in his
pickup, he radioed his co-workers to see if
they could speed up the six-yard dump truck
so they could stay ahead of two tornadoes
trailing them. Estrada and Resendez radioed
back to Rodriguez, "What about the tornado
in front of us?"
All three employees escaped injury and
damage to their vehicles.
At the Garden City shop, maintenance
techs Filie Arizola, Jeff Fitzgerald and
Daniel Martinez literally dove into a grease
pit when they heard the sounds of tornadoes
approaching them.
Fitzgerald said he lay under the old greaseL-
0nHeavy rain flooded several areas in the San
Angelo District. (top photo) West Texas
wildlife like this raccoon was also stranded by
rising water. (bottom photo)
rack four different times for protection
against the tornadoes.
Like the other road hands, Wayne
Halfmann and Gary Maricle stayed busyhelping to close roads.
As a result of the
storm Texas 158,
Texas 137, Farm-to-
Market 2401 and
Farm-to-Market 33
were closed to protect'
motorists from flood
conditions.
"About 99 percent
of the time motorists
were understanding,"
said Schniers, who was
separated from the
other employees by
the flooded highway.
During that 36-hour
period, he shared
water from his truck,
Cokes and candy bars
with appreciative
motorists.
But not all
motorists were cooper-
ative, even when flag-
gers explained that
tornadoes had been
spotted in the area,
Rodriguez said. One
motorist disobeyed the
Jl warning, heading
toward the storm.
"The driver turned
around, though,"
Rodriguez said,
explaining that the
pickup returned - without headlights or any
glass in the windshield.
By Thursday evening, all the employees
were ready to call it day, which had begun
Wednesday morning.
That "day" was even longer for Schniers.
He had to take an 80-mile detour because of
the flooded highway south of Midland and
Big Spring to travel to his home in St.
Lawrence, which is typically an 18-mile
drive.
While road hands worked with motorists
along the drenched highways, Brown spent
most of her time on the phone with the
National Weather Service from Midland and
the area Department of Public Safety offices
to communicate tornado sightings.
"We didn't even have time to make cof-
fee," Brown said. But she did make time to
call to her husband and request a toothbrush,
a change of clothes and deodorant. Before
her 36 hours on the job ended, she also took
care of routine business, helping a new
employee with paperwork.
Brown remembers apologizing to the new
employee, Tim Sims.
"I apologize for the messy office, I
apologize if I appear unorganized, and I
apologize if I look dead," Brown said. *10
Transportation News
May 2000
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas. Department of Transportation. Transportation News, Volume 25, Number 9, May 2000, periodical, May 2000; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth576386/m1/10/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.