BELTON, Texas (KXXV) — A sudden rise in Nolan Creek caught Belton by surprise on Monday, but the city’s early warning flood system helped alert residents just in time—highlighting the value of real-time monitoring technology.
- Water in Nolan Creek rose from five to nearly 10 feet in just 80 minutes, despite no rainfall in Belton at the time.
- The surge was caused by upstream storms in Killeen, emphasizing how local flooding can originate miles away.
- Belton’s early warning system, installed after the devastating 2010 flood, automatically alerted first responders and nearby residents.
- City Manager Sam Listi credits the system for giving people time to react, saying, “the early warning gives people enough time to get out.”
- Residents like JD Cartagena say the system worked as intended, calling the quick action “a blessing” and praising the city’s preparedness.
Check out how the system works:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A sudden and unexpected rise in Nolan Creek on Monday afternoon served as a reminder of how crucial Belton’s early flood warning system has become.
Around 12:35 p.m., under clear skies, water levels at the Penelope Street Bridge began to rise, jumping from five feet to nearly 10 feet in just 80 minutes. The cause? Rainfall that had passed through the Killeen area hours earlier.
While there were no visible signs of danger in Belton, the city’s flood monitoring system, developed over a decade ago, was the first and only indication that rising water was on the way.
“The early warning gives people enough time to get out,” said Belton City Manager Sam Listi. “ We’re talking about businesses and residents that are being impacted by this situation and we want to make sure we’re getting the word out as early as we can.”
Listi explained that Belton sits at the lower end of the Nolan Creek watershed, which begins near Fort Hood and flows southeast.
“You can see that we’re the bottom part, so everything comes through here,” he said. “So when we saw the rain in Killeen, we knew it was coming this time.”
The system was developed following Tropical Storm Hermine in 2010, when a stalled storm dumped over eight inches of rain on Killeen and flooded parts of Belton, forcing evacuations in neighborhoods like Shirttail Bend.
“Our lack of preparedness at the time told us we needed to do something and we began to investigate,” Listi said. The result was a regional partnership that led to five flood monitoring stations along the creek.
JD Cartagena, a Belton resident who lives near Nolan Creek, said the alerts are a valuable tool for the community.
“The system did what it was supposed to do,” he said. “Luckily it wasn’t out of the norm because I’ve seen it higher… way higher.”
He also expressed concern for other Texas communities hit harder by recent storms.
“Prayers and prayers. Much love to everything that is happening to you guys in Kerr, and our heart breaks across the entire nation,” Cartagena said.
Belton's system uses sonar-based sensors to track rainfall and water levels in real time. The data is public and available online, and when thresholds are triggered, local emergency protocols go into effect, including CodeRed alerts to residents.
Listi referenced what’s happening now in Kerr County as a parallel example of the need for early warnings.
“The storm just sat there and that’s what happened in 2010. The storm just parked itself in Killeen until there was 10 to 8 inches of rain,” he said.
While Monday’s spike didn’t lead to major damage, city officials say it reinforces the importance of staying prepared — and investing in tools that keep the community informed.
