Jacobs Creek flood

Jacobs Creek flood
Date August 30, 2003
Location Kansas Turnpike (I-35) 11 miles (18 km) south of Emporia, Kansas, United States
Deaths 6 dead in Kansas
Property damage $250,000 in property damage

The Jacobs Creek flood, also referred to as the Kansas Turnpike flash flood, was a flash flood of the Jacobs Creek that occurred on the night of August 30, 2003, 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Emporia, Kansas, on the Kansas Turnpike (Interstate 35). The deadly flash flood occurred on Labor Day weekend and killed six people, five inside of vehicles swept away by the floodwaters and one person who was attempting to rescue those trapped.

August 30, 2003 flood

From 7:00 to 8:00 pm, a slow-moving, low-topped storm with very heavy rainfall rates developed over central Kansas, remaining over eastern Chase and western Lyon counties for several hours. The rain rate over the headwaters of Jacobs Creek is estimated to be several inches per hour with almost 6 inches (15 cm) of estimated total rainfall by 8:00 pm.

At 8:30 pm, the culvert carrying Jacobs Creek reached capacity and the flowing water began to accumulate behind the elevated embankment of the Kansas Turnpike near milepost 116. Water begins to spill onto the northbound lanes of the interstate.

9:00 PM: The accumulating water from Jacobs Creek crosses the northbound lanes and begins to accumulate against the barriers dividing northbound and southbound traffic. Cars in the northbound lanes begin to stall and traffic is blocked. Within the next 30 minutes, the water level reaches the top of the median barriers and begins spilling into the southbound lanes of the turnpike. People begin to abandon flooded vehicles.

9:01 PM: KHP Trooper Marc McCune arrived as the "first on the scene".[1]

9:21 PM: Chase County Sheriff's department 9-1-1 dispatcher instructed stalled drivers to "stay put".[2]

9:29 PM: A 'turnpike official' advised dispatch to ... shut down [the road].[2]

At 9:35 PM, the force of the accumulated water spilling over the median barriers caused 12 of them to collapse, and the backed-up water surged over the roadway, carrying seven vehicles downstream into Jacobs Creek. Total rainfall was estimated to be from 6 inches (15 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm) and the peak flow of Jacobs Creek at the Kansas Turnpike was estimated to be 4,100 cubic feet per second (120 m3/s).[3]

Flash flooding of Jacobs Creek at the Kansas Turnpike killed four children and their mother, as well as another man who was killed after rescuing four people trapped in their vehicles. In addition, it caused approximately $250,000 worth of property damage along the creek. Water remained high in Jacobs Creek downstream of the turnpike for several days, impeding recovery efforts. Severely damaged vehicles and victims from the flood were found as far as 2 miles (3.2 km) away from the turnpike. The final victim was recovered on September 2 in a retention pond.[4]

Aftermath

In August, 2004, a memorial was constructed at the Matfield Green Rest Area on the Kansas Turnpike just southwest of Jacobs Creek. Of particular mention by the memorial is Al Larsen, the individual killed while trying to rescue other trapped motorists. At a ceremony unveiling the memorial, then-governor Kathleen Sebelius recognized the actions of Larsen as well as Ryan Lane, who helped with the rescue efforts and survived the flood.[5]

As of 2010, the event is used as a case study in a training module by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and is analyzed in detail by a paper published in the National Weather Association Digest (referenced in this article).

In 2015, The Kansas Turnpike Authority installed high water warning signs for the flash flood prone stretch of Kansas Turnpike (I-35) where the fatalities occurred.[6]

In July, 2016, The Kansas Turnpike Authority upgraded the culverts at the locations of the flash flooding. At Jacobs Creek, the original 7 feet (2.1 m) by 7 feet (2.1 m) culvert was replaced with two 14 feet (4.3 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m) culverts. The new culverts are now expected to convey flow with only a 1% chance of occurring in a given year.[7]

July 10, 2015 flood

Heavy rainfall on July 10, 2015, caused flash flooding on a tributary of Jacobs Creek which again overwhelmed the Kansas Turnpike and caused a fatality. This flooding occurred just 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of the site of the 2003 flood. A vehicle, driven by 21 year old Zachary Clark, was swept off the turnpike after hitting the flood waters, and Clark was killed.[7][6][8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Turnpike Tragedy: What Really Happened?". KAKE TV. 2005-05-03. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  2. 1 2 Mann, Fred. Rising panic. The Wichita Eagle, 2003-09-07.
  3. ↑ J.D. Vitale; J.T. Moore; C.E. Graves; M. Kelsh. "Hydrometeorological Aspects of the Kansas Turnpike Flash Flood of 30-31 August 2003" (PDF). National Weather Association Digest. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  4. ↑ "All Victims Found". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  5. ↑ "Memorial park, monument unveiled". Topeka Capital-Journal, via bNET. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  6. 1 2 "Kansas agency knew of turnpike flooding troublespots before latest death, records show". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2016-07-03.
  7. 1 2 "Upgrades started on Kansas Turnpike Stretch Where 7 Died". KMBC-TV. Retrieved 2016-07-03.
  8. ↑ "21-year-old killed after being swept from Kansas Turnpike south of Emporia". KSNT-TV. Retrieved 2016-07-03.

Coordinates: 38°17′30″N 96°21′22″W / 38.2918°N 96.3561°W / 38.2918; -96.3561

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.