San Angelo officials outline response after sudden July 4 flooding; one fatality confirmed

San Angelo officials on July 5 described emergency response and early recovery efforts after a sudden rain event on July 4 that sent fast-moving water through the city’s northeast and north sectors, down to Bell Street.

Judge Carter opened the briefing by thanking first responders and partners and urging residents to document damage for ISTAT/ISTAT submissions to support potential federal aid. "The substantial rain event... affected the Northeast side of town and the North Sector down to Bell Street," Judge Carter said, and he urged those with agricultural losses—fencing, livestock, hay—to document those losses and contact the Tom Green County extension agent at (325) 653-4576 for ISTAT help.

Police Chief Griffith described rapid rescue operations across multiple neighborhoods and said the department had recorded one fatality and otherwise only minor injuries so far. "At this point, we have only seen one fatality," Chief Griffith said, and he asked residents to avoid affected areas so responders can work and to use 911 for emergencies.

Shane Kelton, the city's executive director of public works, gave an early damage estimate from drone and mapping work: "We do have as far as 12,102 structures within this area so far" and approximately 6,157 individual parcels, he said, while stressing the numbers were preliminary and the inundation map is incomplete.

Mayor Tom Thompson said the city is coordinating shelter, donation and volunteer efforts and urged monetary donations to be funneled through the San Angelo Area Foundation to reduce fraud and centralize distribution. "We are pushing all the local financial donations to the San Angelo Area Foundation," Thompson said; the foundation’s site is saafound.org. United Way of the Concho Valley and the Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) will coordinate volunteers and on-site needs, and United Way asked that no groups self-deploy until they check in.

Officials listed immediate practical guidance: call 911 for life-threatening needs, use 211 for nonemergencies or the nonemergency police number 657-4315, seek urgent-care locations named by the city, and contact the city's customer service at (325) 657-4323 to report lost trash bins or commercial dumpster issues. Kelton said Republic Services’ Hughes Street facility sustained heavy damage and trash collection would be disrupted for about a week to 10 days; recycling services were suspended for roughly the same period and residents without bins should bag trash at the curb for hand pickup.

Officials reiterated that debris must be sorted and staged at the back of curb or street edge per FEMA guidance to preserve eligibility for reimbursement; the landfill remained closed to the public and was expected to be closed about a week to a week-and-a-half while crews make it operational. Kelton said city building and fire marshal staff were conducting structural safety assessments and that an orange X on a home indicates it is unsafe to enter.

The briefing closed with a reminder about scammers targeting disaster survivors: Judge Carter warned of "an uptick in false scam text messages, phone calls, [and] emails" asking for money; officials advised residents not to give money upfront and to verify contractors through city registration or the Better Business Bureau. Mayor Thompson said Congressman August Pfluger planned a site visit and that officials would continue to press for expedited assistance from state and federal partners.

Next steps: officials expect most field assessments to be finished in the next day and to begin coordinated debris pickup in about 7 to 10 days, and they asked residents to submit questions via sanangelo.gov/julyfour. The city said it would convene another update on Monday to report progress.