Six Flags to reopen after Tuesday washout

Some large coasters might not run

09:06 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 30, 2004

By JAY PARSONS / The Dallas Morning News

ARLINGTON – A river of floodwater from Johnson Creek surged through Six Flags Over Texas on Tuesday afternoon, forcing the park to close.

About 10 percent of the 210-acre amusement park was affected, and water levels reached up to 3 feet. No injuries were reported.

"It looked like a river," said Chris McBee, a home builder from Fort Worth visiting the park with his wife and 5-year-old son. "The water was pouring out of the entrance to the Mine Train. You couldn't walk."

The 2:45 p.m. closure was the earliest the park has had to close since the late 1970s, park officials said.

Although more rain is expected, Six Flags plans to open today at 10 a.m.

Steve Fano, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, predicted rain through Sunday.

"We'll have another chance of picking up another inch or two tomorrow," he said. "It all has to do with the way the winds and the upper levels are acting."

Six Flags said that though none of the rides appeared to be damaged, some of the large roller coasters may remain closed for inspection.

"We check them out every day, no matter what," park spokeswoman Sandra Daniels said. "These rides are engineered to withstand all kinds of conditions."

Six Flags dispatched a group of engineers from Oklahoma City to survey the electrical wiring and foundation before the coasters are reopened.

"We think if everything goes as we expect, everything will open tomorrow," special projects manager Mike Sossamon said.

Ron Baselice / DMN

Park employees watch floodwaters rush through the north side of Six Flags.

Seven rides, including the Texas Giant and Shockwave coasters, and many walkways never opened Tuesday. Signs indicated a noon opening, but then the rain hit. Visitors hovered under awnings and inside buildings.

"Then it got all sunny," Jeremy Martin of Wylie said. "We thought it was going to be all good. They started forming lines for rides."

But soon he saw news helicopters overhead and called a friend to find out what was going on. He quickly learned that areas of the park were flooding. The ground was so saturated from recent rain that the water had nowhere to go. It rose quickly.

"When we were waiting in line, we noticed water by the Mine Train had risen," said Ward Bigler, a youth pastor from Tulsa, Okla. "By the time we got off the [Texas] Tornado, we saw the water had risen to people's knees."

"I saw a trash can floating where a ride was supposed to be," said Gary Bannister of Dallas.

Park officials announced the closure on the loudspeaker. Employees put on life jackets as they blocked off flooded areas and herded people out of the park.

Crowds steadily flowed out of the park until 3:45 p.m. Employees distributed rain checks. Most visitors saw the water levels and couldn't complain about the park's decision to shut down.

"If it's dangerous, then it's better to be closed," said Christine Reich from Rockwall. Ms. Reich and family members from Georgia had time for only one ride – the SpongeBob SquarePants ride – before they were told to leave.

Water receded throughout most of the park by 4:30 p.m. About 12 visitors, mostly teens, remained outside the park, waiting for rides home.

"We were disappointed because we came out to ride the big rides," said Lindsey Webb, 14, of Richland Hills.

Arlington voters turned down referendums in 1998 and 2000 for flood control and other improvements along Johnson Creek.

"Had any one of those referendums been passed, the flooding would have been addressed," council member Steve McCollum said. "Downstream impacts, such as what Six Flags is experiencing, would not have happened."

Staff writers Jennifer Arend, Jim Getz, Stephanie Sandoval and Pat Gillespie contributed to this report.

E-mail jparsons@dallasnews.com