PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
810 AM CDT FRI JUN 9 2006

...FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF TROPICAL STORM ALLISON'S DEVASTATING
RAINFALL IN THE HOUSTON AREA...

TROPICAL STORM ALLISON...THE FIRST NAMED STORM OF THE 2001 HURRICANE
SEASON AND THE ONLY TROPICAL STORM TO HAVE ITS NAME RETIRED...MADE
LANDFALL ON THE EVENING OF JUNE 5TH 2001 NEAR FREEPORT. ALLISON THEN
DRIFTED FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS OVER SOUTHEAST AND EAST TEXAS
PRODUCING COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL. THERE WERE THREE DISTINCT
FLOODING RAINFALL EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH ALLISON. THE FIRST EVENT
OCCURRED AROUND LANDFALL ON THE 5TH AND AFFECTED NORTHERN GALVESTON
AND SOUTHERN AND EASTERN HARRIS COUNTIES. THE SECOND EVENT OCCURRED
ON JUNE 7TH AND STRETCHED FROM SOUTHERN LIBERTY COUNTY SOUTHWESTWARD
INTO THE HOUSTON AREA AND INTO NORTHERN FORT BEND COUNTY. THE THIRD
AND MOST DEVASTATING EVENT BEGAN ON THE 8TH AND CONTINUED INTO THE
9TH. THE HEAVY RAINFALL AREA STRETCHED FROM CONROE TO THE WOODLANDS
TO HOUSTON AND INTO THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF GALVESTON COUNTY.

OF THE TWENTY-TWO FATALITIES THAT OCCURRED DUE TO THE FLOODING ON
JUNE 8TH AND 9TH...NINETEEN PEOPLE DROWNED AND THREE WERE
ELECTROCUTED. MOST OF THE DROWNING DEATHS OCCURRED BECAUSE PEOPLE
WERE WALKING OR DRIVING INTO THE FLOOD WATERS.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REMINDS EVERYONE THAT WHEN FLOODING IS
OBSERVED...TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN. EIGHTY PERCENT OF FLOOD DEATHS
OCCUR WHEN PEOPLE DRIVE INTO WATER OR SIMPLY WALK INTO MOVING WATER.
IT ONLY TAKES TWO FEET OF WATER TO MAKE A LARGE VEHICLE BUOYANT
ENOUGH TO LOOSE TRACTION AND FLOAT AWAY. THE SMALLER THE VEHICLE...
THE LESS WATER DEPTH IT TAKES TO MAKE IT BUOYANT.

SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS A HISTORY OF HEAVY RAIN EVENTS THAT HAVE
RESULTED IN DEVASTATING FLOODING. TROPICAL STORM ALLISON WAS THE
MOST RECENT EVENT IN WHICH A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF LIVES WERE LOST.
SOUTHEAST TEXAS WILL SEE MAJOR FLOOD EVENTS AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. SO
REMEMBER...TURN AROUND DON`T DROWN.