Texas State Capitol is FLOODED after storms dumped more than four inches of rain per hour over Austin
- The Texas State Capitol was flooded on Sunday afternoon after more than four inches of rain fell throughout Austin
- Footage showed rainwater pouring from the ceiling due to a storm drain backup
- Governor Greg Abbott organized a cleanup and will hold a meeting to discuss further flooding issues
- Texans saw other rare weather events this year including a freeze that contributed to the 2021 power crisis
The Texas State Capitol building flooded on Sunday afternoon as storms blanketed Austin with more than four inches of rain fell within an hour.
Footage shot by Sloan Byerly, chief of staff for the Texas House of Representatives, showed water filling hallways at the Capitol as rain dripped down from the ceilings.
State Preservation Board spokesman Chris Currens told Austin American-Statesman: ‘A storm drain became clogged and backed up water into one of the skylight drain troughs, and water came into the building.’
The Texas State Building became flooded after a backed up storm drain caused rainwater to leak through the ceiling and onto the floor
The footage was shot by Sloan Byerly as she documented the flooding between the E2.200 and E2.300 hallways in the building
The flooding in the downtown Austin area was a result of a series of storms in which four inches of rain fell in an hour with a flash flood warning in effect until 5.15pm throughout Travis County, according to KXAN.
‘It’s all hands on deck,’ Governor Greg Abbott said on Twitter as crews were seen cleaning up to get the building back in order.
Abbott also tweeted that the issue of flooding is being addressed with the State Preservation Board and his office after Sunday’s incident.
The State Preservation Board told KVUE: ‘The flooding involves less than 1” of water in these areas and recovery operations will continue throughout the evening to minimize disruptions to legislative business on Monday.’
Governer Greg Abbott tweeted ‘It’s all hands on deck’ as flooding issues in Austin are to be addressed for the future
More than four inches of rain was reported falling throughout different areas of Austin
The bottom floor of the Gregory Gymnasium at UT Austin also saw flooding as water spouted from the floor like a fountain as recorded by Jonathan Sherchand
Indoor flooding was also visible in areas such as UT Austin in the bottom floor of the Gregory Gymnasium.
Water flowed out of the ground into the air like a fountain as was documented by Jonathan Sherchand.
The damage is currently being assessed by UT’s facility team, according to university spokesman Eliska S. Padilla
The gym was closed shortly after the incident and will remain closed until further notice.
Crews were seen cleaning the area and getting the building back into shape for Monday
Other footage of the flooding captured local streets flowing, powerlines sparking, and vehicles submerged under inches of rainwater.
Texans have faced a rough year with challenging weather patterns as a rare winter freeze hit various regions of the state leaving many cold and unprepared.
Temperatures plummeted and many were left without power and running water leaving hundreds of Texans dead, mostly due to hypothermia.
Power companies such as ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, did not predict the severity of the storm and the effects it would have on residents.
The 2021 power crisis in Texas also caught residents by surprise as rare low winter temperatures caused power outages throughout the state leaving many without heat and water