Lubbock’s Citizens Tower Affected By Flooding, Hilarity Ensues

I'm sorry, but in a town that has refused to deal with its flooding problems, this is just priceless.

We have no real idea what the actual damage was, but an announcement was made that only the 1st floor of Citizens Tower will be open Monday (March 15th) because somehow flooding has interrupted elevator service.

Frankford and Erskine had to be closed due to flooding, as did an area at 24th and Ave. W. There were many other areas that were on the edge of being unpassable as well. These things happen because Lubbock's two-pronged thinking about flooding is, 1) it doesn't happen enough to worry about it, and 2) our plan for floodwaters to run down the roads into the playa lakes is sufficient.

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It seems to me that we've had these flooding problems a little more frequently and that we should revisit any plans or lack of plans we've had in this area before some type of tragedy strikes. It may be too late to retrofit our current plans, but there are certainly questions that should be asked, especially since Lubbockites are charged a monthly stormwater fee.

I doubt city officials will learn anything from this inconvenience at Citizens Tower. It's a safe bet that those on floors low enough to take the stairs will enjoy a less busy day, while those on the higher floors will enjoy a day off.

Still, I'm betting the folks who have been affected by flooding in Lubbock are smiling at this huge karmic payback downtown.