A KHOU manager said we live in the “Bayou City,” and sometimes streets themselves become bayous.
“I’ve seen it like this before,” said Houstonian Debra Powell following Wednesday morning’s flooding. “It’s not quite as bad as it’s been before.. But it’s substantially high.”
The water was high enough along parts of Allen Parkway to halt the commutes of drivers who tried to navigate through it.
“Stay back, stay back, stay back...Don’t, don’t try,” said one driver who got stuck.
We watched Steve Roberts salvage items from a 15-year-old Lincoln he’ll finally be forced to replace.
“It’s Houston, the rains came, and here we are,” Roberts said.
He thought recent infrastructure improvements would have helped alleviate problems along Allen Parkway, but Mayor Sylvester Turner says it’s a work in progress.
“And I think we are seeing some positive results,” said Turner, who was attending a conference of mayors in Washington, D.C.
Turner appointed a so-called “flood czar” last year to help usher in dramatic drainage improvements. Initially, the city allocated $10 million for a Storm Water Action Team, or SWAT.
“I never said we’d get rid of flooding,” Turner said. “But we’re doing what we can to mitigate flooding, and there’ll be announcements in the future about additional things we want to do.”
For now, it will still flood in many parts of the “Bayou City” when it rains enough.
At last check, the city reported 20 structures with flood damage due to Wednesday’s storms. Assessment teams will verify the damage as soon as possible.