GOODRICH, Texas — Some residents in Polk County rushed to find a safe place to stay Monday after heavy rainfall led to evacuation orders in certain areas.
Just before 3 p.m., officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for people who live along the Trinity River and below the Lake Livingston Dam.
In a Facebook post, the Polk County Office of Emergency Management listed the following communities as mandatory evacuation areas: River Lake Estates, Holiday Lake Estates, Taylor Lake Estates, Route 66, Siesta Country 3 & 4 and other low-lying areas along the Trinity River.
A shelter has been opened at the Dunbar Gym at 1103 Dubar Avenue in Livingston for people in Polk County who have evacuated from those areas.
Joe Tomlinson told KHOU 11 News he was attempting to leave his neighborhood in Goodrich near the Trinity River, but his car died as he was crossing a flooded street.
“We didn’t think it was going to be that bad,” he said. “I was trying to take my car over there so I could get back and forth to work, but now that my car broke down I don’t know what I’m going to do so I have no idea what I’m going to do right now.”
Tomlinson said he planned to get help from a friend who could ferry him across the flooded street in a boat.
Vernea Doty lives in the same neighborhood and said she was shocked that the street flooding had risen several feet throughout the day.
“We went to Houston earlier to do some shopping,” she said. “It was shocking to see how high the water got when we came back. It was so fast, we're not used to seeing it come quite this fast.”
Throughout the day, we spotted members of the Goodrich Fire Department using a boat to take food and water to some residents who couldn’t make it out of their homes.
Doty said that kindness was no surprise.
“Everybody pulls together to help everybody,” Doty said. “We just stick together that’s all we can do -- crisis like this you got to work together and just give it to the Lord and let him take care of it.”
In the coming days, water released from the Lake Livingston Dam could add to the high water conditions in low-lying communities along the river.
In a statement, the Polk County Office of Emergency Management said officials will stay in touch with Trinity River Authority and National Weather Service regarding further rainfall that could come this week.