Southeast Texas saw widespread flooding in early May as back-to-back storms drenched the area that includes Polk, Montgomery, Liberty and Harris counties, causing flash-flooding from heavy rain.
How was the situation in past week?
Flooding in Texas turned deadly Sunday as millions of people across the eastern part of the state continue to face overflowing rivers that could remain swollen for days. East Texas did see a brief pause from the extreme weather on Saturday before more precipitation and thunderstorms returned Sunday. Some of those storms knocked down trees near Lufkin on Sunday morning, according to storm reports from the National Weather Service.
There was some good news, however. River levels peaked Friday night along the East Fork of the San Jacinto River, which has seen the worst of flooding over the past several days.
Improvement in the weather
Flood waters in Houston area and parts of Southeast Texas began to recede on Monday, allowing residents to begin returning to their homes and reduce damages after days of heavy rainfall that drub the area and led to hundreds of rescues, including those people who were stranded on rooftops. After days of heavy rainfall in the Houston area and other parts of Southeast Texas, Monday’s weather was dominated by mostly sunny skies and little if any rain.
“We can absolutely see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we’ve made it through the worst of this weather event,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official, told reporters Monday.
Rescue and casualties during the flood
While officials in Harris County, reported no deaths or major injuries from the flooding, but Gov. Greg Abbott said there were at least three deaths in the state.
A body of a 4-year-old boy was recovered from floodwaters near Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, as search and rescue teams statewide continue to patrol streets and neighborhoods inundated by rainfall. Johnson County Emergency Management Coordinator Jamie Moore said, ‘the deceased boy was found after authorities responded to a call around 2 a.m. for a vehicle stuck in rapidly moving water, in Johnson County, about 30 miles south of Fort Worth.’ Authorities said the child and two adults were swept away in floodwater Sunday morning. The adults survived the ordeal. According to sources that the boy was identified as 4-year-old Lucas Warren of Burleson.
The death Is the first of at least two reported fatalities following storms that have prompted disaster declarations for over a third of the state’s counties.
Hidalgo said, 233 people and 186 pets had been rescued in Harris County over the last few days. Active rescues stopped Monday, and officials were transitioning from a response phase into recovery mode and cleanup, she said. Across Texas, more than 600 people were rescued by local and state authorities, Abbott said. A disaster declaration was issued by Abbott for 91 counties impacted by the severe weather.
Still, dozens of people and pets needed rescue as crews in boats fanned out across the flooded streets and homes, looking for neighbors who needed help evacuating.
Amount of rain poured causing flood
Areas near Lake Livingston, located northeast of Houston, received upwards of 23 inches (58 centimeters) of rain over the past week, National Weather Service meteorologist Jimmy Fowler said. Areas in northeastern Harris County, the nation’s third-largest county, had a range of between 6 inches (15 centimeters) to almost 17 inches (43 centimeters) of rain in that same period.
Houston is one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the country. Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dumped historic rainfall that flooded thousands of homes and resulted in more than 60,000 rescues.
Flood damage in residences
High waters that reached up to the rooftops of many homes last week led officials to issue mandatory evacuations along the east side of the river and urge residents not to ride out the storms in their homes.
“That means elevated structures will get water … it means the water will be hitting power lines, which puts our emergency evacuation vehicles at risk because they’re not going to be able to see those power lines,” – Harris County Executive Judge Lina Hidalgo said last Thursday – “Please evacuate that area as soon as possible.”
05.04.2024
Dayton Lakes, Texas 77535
Liberty CountyThe Trinity River has totally engulfed the area. @NWSHouston @mattlanza @AccuWeatherUGC @BillyForney3 @StormChaserHTX @KPRC2Justin @JohnDawsonFox26 @JeffLindner1 @BillBishopKHOU @weatherchannel @StoryfulNews #txwx pic.twitter.com/FnA5MPYGAy
— Justin Aaron (@JustinAaronUH91) May 5, 2024
Hidalgo said, around 700 homes were flooded upriver in Polk County as well, giving a warning of what was to come Friday as that water pushed downstream into northern Harris County. River flooding was also reported along the western fork of the San Jacinto River near Kirkwood, though not as severe as along the eastern fork.
In San Jacinto County, residents along the Trinity River downstream of the Lake Livingston dam were told to evacuate earlier last week after the dam had to radically increase its outflow as the upstream watershed collected 17-20 inches of rain within a week. Widespread storm rainfall totals of 6-12 inches were measured across the rest of the region. The long-range forecasts are trending much drier and warmer for the region beginning Monday, with mostly sunny skies and highs near 90 for the week ahead.
Though, now the situation is a lot better than it was for past few weeks. But there is no assurance that things will not get worse again. Many of the people still is getting rescued from the flood.
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