The Fort Worth Flood of 1949: A city underwater

In Fort Worth, springtime and severe weather are synonymous. (As if you didn't know, right?!) But in May 1949, Mother Nature outdid herself.

The skies opened, and the rain barreled down with a vengeance. Over just two days, amounts exceeded 10 inches in parts of Fort Worth. Heavy storms drenched the area during the afternoon and evening of May 16. By late that night and into the early hours of May 17, the rain intensified, with some parts of the city seeing several inches per hour. Once rainfall began to taper later that day, the historic damage was evident.

Runoff overwhelmed the city's existing flood control system, which wasn't designed for a rain event of that magnitude. The Trinity River and its tributaries swelled beyond their banks, overtopping some levees while others flat-out failed. Failed infrastructure led to widespread flooding across roughly 10 square miles of the city. To put it another way, the 1949 flood equaled nearly 5,000 football fields underwater at once. Left to its own devices, the water did as water does: It rushed fast and moved violently. Thousands of residents were left homeless.

Neighborhood streets became raging rivers, with the debris field immense: splintered wood, twisted metal, furniture, household items, trees, cars, you name it. Panic ensued. Residents cobbled together makeshift rafts from broken doors and other floating debris to escape rising floodwaters.

Eventually, rescue crews showed up on scene, deploying boats and other means to ferry residents to safety. Many were lucky to escape with the clothes on their backs - and their lives.

To grasp just how deep the waters ran, picture this: Water swelled to the second floor of the Montgomery Ward building on West Seventh Street (known today as Montgomery Plaza).

At one point, onlookers watched in horror as "bodies" floated by. Fortunately, they were mannequins that had decorated the store windows of Montgomery Ward.

Picking up the pieces

The incredible destruction appeared when the water receded. Utilities were knocked out. Trash littered mud-soaked roads. Standing water and contaminated debris led to unsanitary conditions posing serious health risks.

Cleanup dragged on from weeks to months, as did reconstruction of the structures that were wiped out and washed away.

The 1949 flood revealed serious limitations in the city's levee and drainage systems, which turned out to be a good thing. The two-day disaster helped spur a focus on long-term flood control planning that remains to this day.

Today, the City of Fort Worth's Stormwater Management Program is solely dedicated to improving the stormwater system and educating the public about the dangers of flooding and flood-related risks. One of its numerous initiatives is the High-Water Warning System, which uses roadside flashers at approximately 55 low-water crossings throughout the city to immediately warn drivers of a potential flood hazard.

As the saying goes, the best way to avoid repeating history is to learn from it. While Fort Worth can't control our intense spring storms (too bad for that!), the City continues to strengthen preparedness efforts designed to protect residents and reduce risk when extreme weather strikes.