Hundreds rescued from Texas floods

On Saturday, water flooded neighborhoods around Houston after heavy rains and caused more than 400 rescues from homes, roofs and roads covered in murky water. Others were preparing to evacuate their properties.

A flood watch was in effect through Sunday afternoon, and forecasters predicted more precipitation Saturday night and the chance of severe flooding in Harris County, the nation’s third most populous, which includes Houston and nearby areas.

“A break in heavy rain is expected until the afternoon (Saturday),” indicated the National Meteorological Service. “The next round of heavy rain is expected overnight and Sunday.”

The forecast was for up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) more water, and up to 5 inches (12.7 cm) in isolated areas.

The Houston authorities No deaths or injuries have been reported. Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official, said Saturday that 178 people and 122 pets They had been rescued for now in the country.

A wide region has been flooded, from Houston to rural eastern Mexico. Texas, where forest guards used boats in waist-deep waters to rescue people and pets who did not evacuate in time. One team carried a family and three dogs as water surrounded their cars and home.

“It’s going to go up like this,” said Miguel Flores Jr., of the Kingwood neighborhood in northeast Houston. “We don’t know much more. “We just prepared for the worst.”

Evacuation of inhabitants

Intense storms on Friday forced numerous rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes. Authorities redoubled urgent instructions for people in low-lying areas to evacuate, and warned that the worst was yet to come.

Most weekends, Flores’ father, Miguel Flores Sr., mows the grass in the huge one-hectare (2.5-acre) garden at his Kingwood home. But on Saturday, he and his family were loading several vehicles with clothing, small appliances and other items.

The water from the San Jacinto River was already covering his yard and continuing to rise, going from 1 foot (30 cm) on Friday to about 4 feet (1.2 meters) the next day.

“It’s sad, but what can I do?”Flores said, noting that he had flood insurance.

For weeks, the downpours in Texas and Louisiana have filled the reservoirs and saturated the land. Water already partially covered cars and roads this week in areas of southeast Texas north of Houston, reaching the roofs of some homes.

In the five days through Friday, more than 21 inches (53 cm) fell in Liberty County, near the city of Splendora, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Houston, according to the National Weather Service.

Dozens of rescues occurred in neighboring Montgomery County. In Polk County, about 100 miles (160 km) northeast of Houston, authorities said they had more than 100 water rescues in recent days.

Flood-prone Houston

Houston It is one of the most flood-prone areas in the United States. The city of more than two million people has extensive experience with devastating weather.

In 2017Hurricane Harvey brought historic rainfall that flooded thousands of homes and led to more than 60,000 rescues by government emergency personnel in Harris County.

Of particular concern was an area along the river San Jacinto, which was expected to continue growing with new rains and water released from a full reservoir. Hidalgo issued a mandatory evacuation order Thursday for people living along some stretches of the river.

The water level in the river was almost 22.6 meters (almost 74 feet) late Saturday night after reaching almost 23.7 m (78 feet). Rapidly changing forecasts called for the river to recede by Thursday to 17.6 m (58 feet), slightly below flood range.

Most of the city limits of Houston They were not greatly impacted by the bad weather. Officials said the area had received about four months’ worth of rain in one week.

The Houston region covers about 25,900 square kilometers (about 10,000 square miles), slightly larger than New Jersey. It is crossed by some 2,700 km (1,700 miles) of canals, streams and swamps that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 80 km (50 mi) southeast of the center.

The system of swamps and reservoirs was built to channel water from downpours, but the infrastructure designed nearly a century ago has struggled to keep up with the city’s growth and increasingly strong storms.

Aron Brown, of 45 years, and his wife, Jamie Brown, 41, were among many residents who drove or walked to view rising waters near a flooded crossing near the San Jacinto River. Nearby restaurants and a gas station were beginning to flood.

Water was seen entering areas of the development where the couple lives, but Aron Brown said he was not worried because his house was higher than others in the neighborhood.

brownwho arrived from his home in a golf cart, said the flooding was not as bad as Hurricane Harvey in 2017. He pointed to some nearby power lines and said the flooding during that storm had reached the wires.