Hurricane Norma (1981)

Four days before Norma moved through Sinaloa, Tropical Storm Lidia made landfall north of the area. Lidia killed 73 people and caused $60 million (equivalent to $193.13 million in 2022) in damage. This prompted evacuations of 5,000 people, and limited the death toll of Hurricane Norma to one person, a fisherman drowned when his boat capsized in the storm. The hurricane caused more devastation in the flood-ravaged region. Six soldiers were guarding a government helicopter, five of these soldiers were washed away during a flash flood. Agriculture was disrupted, and cattle were killed, causing at least $24 million (equivalent to $77.25 million in 2022) dollars in crop damage.[1] The highest Mexican rainfall was 10.9 in (280 mm) in Plomosas/Rosario, Mexico.[3] Torrential rains caused serious flooding north of Mazatlan.[4] as well as ten nearby towns. Due to the damage from the storm, Antonio Toledo Corro, the Governor of Sinaloa, declared a state of emergency. Red Cross spokesperson noted that 5,000 residents need to be evacuated from low-lying areas.[5]

The remnants of the storm moved into Texas and Oklahoma. The heavy rainfall caused two rivers, the Red River and Cedar Creek to reach flood-stage. A total of five people were killed in the United States,[6] three of these deaths occurred when floodwaters swept their car off the road in Fort Worth.[7] Nearby, flooding forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes, including 1,000 people in the cities of Lindsay and Breckenridge. Several tornadoes were reported in six counties,[8] including an F2 tornado in McLennan that injured four people and caused $25 million in damage.[9] A F3 tornado was also reported in Navarro County, causing $25,000 in property damage.[10] During October 13 and 14, a total of 13 tornadoes were reported in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma.[11]

Cedar Creek overflowed its banks and homes in low-lying areas of Abilene, Texas were covered in 6 ft (1.8 m) of water. In Gainesville, floodwaters swept a train off its track and an elephant was killed in a local zoo.[8] In the same area, 200 people were evacuated due to the flooding.[12] Waco reported power losses for two hours and $2.8 million (equivalent to $9.01 million in 2022) in damage for churches and businesses. In Oklahoma, 60 bridges were washed away due to flooding, but no injuries or deaths were reported. In addition, a tornado struck a small town, causing minor damage to farms.[7] The town of Bells reported winds of 75 mph (121 km/h). Total damage in Texas was estimated at $50 million (equivalent to $160.94 million in 2022).[6][13]

Across Texas, 13 in (330 mm) fell between Bridgeport and Denton and up to 20 in (510 mm) fell in areas near Abilene and Gainesville.[14] The storm produced 17.9 in (450 mm) of rain in a three-day period,[7] thus causing Madill to have its wettest October on record.[15] In addition, 20.1 in (510 mm) of rain fell in Breckenridge, Texas.[3] In eastern Kansas light rain fell, including .7 in (18 mm) near Perry Lake within a 24‑hour period.[16]

Due to the damage from the hurricane in the United States, the Salvation Army disaster units were sent throughout the devastated area. To prevent looting, residents in Breckenridge organized watches; the National Guard soon patrolled the streets. In Abilene, the United States Red Cross worked to feed the homeless and supply them with drinking water until city water services was restored.[8]