HOUSTON– High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday, following heavy rains that have resulted in the rescue of more than 400 people from homes, roofs and roads swallowed by murky waters. Others prepared to evacuate their properties.
A vast region was flooded, from Houston to rural East Texas, where rangers traveled in airboats through waist-high waters, rescuing people and pets who did not evacuate in time. A crew brought a family and three dogs on board as rising waters surrounded their cars and home.
A flood warning was in effect throughout Sunday afternoon as forecasters predicted additional rainfall on Saturday night and the likelihood of major flooding.
“It’s going to continue to increase like this,” said Miguel Flores Jr., of the Kingwood neighborhood in northeast Houston. “We don’t know how much more. We’re just preparing for the worst.”
Husband and wife Aron Brown, 45, and Jamie Brown, 41, were two of many residents who drove or walked to watch the waters rise near a flooded intersection near the San Jacinto River. Nearby restaurants and a gas station were beginning to flood.
Water could be seen flowing in parts of the couple’s subdivision, but Aron Brown said he wasn’t concerned because their home is at a higher elevation than others in the neighborhood.
Brown, who left his home in a golf cart, said the flooding was not as severe as Hurricane Harvey in 2017. He pointed to nearby power lines and said flooding during Harvey reached the top of the lines.
Friday’s severe storms forced several high-water rescues, including some from the roofs of flooded homes. Authorities doubled down on urgent instructions for residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, warning that the worst was yet to come.
“A lull in heavy rain is expected overnight (Saturday),” according to the National Weather Service. “The next round of heavy rain is forecast for late (Saturday) through Sunday.”
Up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of additional rain was expected, with up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) possible in isolated areas.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said more rain is expected Sunday, and if it’s too much, it could be problematic. Hidalgo is the top elected official in the country’s third-largest county.
Most weekends, Miguel Flores Sr. mows the grass in his massive backyard on a 1-acre lot behind his Kingwood home. But on Saturday he and his family loaded several vehicles with clothes, small appliances and other items.
Water from the San Jacinto River had already swallowed her yard and was continuing to rise — what was about a foot high in her yard on Friday measured about 4 feet the next day.
“It’s sad, but what can I do,” Flores said. He added that he has flood insurance.
For weeks, torrential rains in Texas and parts of Louisiana filled reservoirs and saturated the ground. Floodwaters partially submerged cars and roads this week in parts of southeast Texas north of Houston, reaching the roofs of some homes.
More than 20 inches (53 centimeters) fell over a five-day period through Friday in Liberty County, near the city of Splendora, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Houston, according to the National Weather Service.
Hidalgo said Saturday that 178 people and 122 pets have been rescued so far in the county. Dozens of rescues took place in neighboring Montgomery County. In Polk County, about 100 miles northeast of Houston, authorities said they have made more than 100 water rescues in recent days.
Houston authorities reported no deaths or injuries. The city of more than 2 million people is one of the most flood-prone metropolitan areas in the country and has long experience dealing with devastating weather conditions.
Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dumped historic rains that flooded thousands of homes and resulted in more than 60,000 rescues by government rescue teams throughout Harris County.
Of particular concern was an area along the San Jacinto River, which was expected to continue rising as more rain fell and authorities released water from a full reservoir. Hidalgo issued a mandatory evacuation order Thursday for people living along parts of the river.
The weather service reported the river was at nearly 74 feet (22.6 meters) Saturday morning after reaching nearly 78 feet (23.7 meters). The rapidly changing forecast says the river is expected to fall to near flood level of 17.6 meters (58 feet) by Thursday.
Most of Houston’s city limits were not heavily affected by the weather. Officials said the area received about four months of rain in about a week.
The Houston metropolitan area covers about 25,900 square kilometers (10,000 square miles) – an area slightly larger than New Jersey. It is crossed by around 2,700 kilometers of canals, streams and streams that flow into the Gulf of Mexico, around 80 kilometers southeast of the city center.
The system of streams and reservoirs was built to drain heavy rains, but engineering initially designed nearly 100 years ago has struggled to keep up with the city’s growth and larger storms.
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Associated Press reporters Ken Miller in Edmond, Oklahoma, Jim Vertuno in Austin and Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed to this report.
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