HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Southeast Texas is finally drying out after a week of storms and flooding.
Harris County has lifted all evacuation orders for people who live along the San Jacinto River. This is after officials said more than 200 people and hundreds of pets were rescued over the weekend.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the severe weather is behind us. Now, it’s time to shift attention to cleaning up the neighborhoods impacted by flooding.
County officials said water levels are dropping quickly along the east and west forks of the San Jacinto River.
Hidalgo said most roads are passable at this point. However, there are a few spots that may have high water through Tuesday or Wednesday.
"We are out of the woods now. It will be partly cloudy and there's like a 15% chance of a drizzle . So thankfully, no more major threats from the rain right now," the county judge said. "We can absolutely see the light at the end of the tunnel and we've made it through the worse of this weather event."
Helpful links
- Check lake, bayou and creek levels
- Track storms on interactive radar
- CenterPoint outage tracker
- Shelters for those who are evacuating
- Check traffic conditions across Houston area
- Check Texas road conditions
- Gov. Abbott escalates state readiness
- Report property damage | In English and Spanish
- Getting rid of flood debris in Harris County | In multiple languages
Moving forward, anyone impacted by flooding should call 211. The United Way is fielding those phone calls.
They can connect folks with food and organizations that will clean out flooded homes to make them livable in the short term.
The county judge said more resources will become available in the coming days, weeks, and months. That includes low interest loans to help people rebuild.
Also, Hidalgo also said she’s heading to Washington D.C on Tuesday to advocate for money to be made available for a buyout program to purchase properties that are prone to flooding along the San Jacinto River. However, she said it may take six months or longer for that program to come together.
Floodwater closed some schools on Monday after days of heavy rains pummeled the Houston area and led to hundreds of rescues including people who were stranded on rooftops.
While the forecast dries out this week, high waters continue to close some roads and leave residents facing lengthy cleanups in neighborhoods where rising river levels led to weekend evacuation orders.
In northeast Harris County, Ryan Sunderland and his family are finally able to assess things after evacuating Friday.
"It got up for sure to the top of that garage door over there. Everything upstairs should be fine," he said.
And others are wondering if relocation may be the next logical step.
"Maybe on top of a hill or mountain at this point because I’m getting tired of this water," Eric Western said.
75-year-old Gary Caskey is thankful his son can help start the process of possibly restoring his longtime home in the River Terrace neighborhood. That's one of several neighborhoods that were previously under a mandatory evacuation.
“Gut it, dry it out and maybe they’ll come back with that buyout or something and I’m just going to get what I can, and that’s it," he said.
To add insult to injury, Caskey said his RV was presumably stolen last night after he moved it to higher ground.
One resident who had to jump off the roof of his home surrounded by water said he had to yell at a neighbor, who called 911. He is doing OK.
School officials in Channelview canceled classes and said a survey of their employees found many of them had experienced circumstances that would prevent them from coming to work.
“These folks have suffered much, people," Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace said Sunday during a Facebook livestream as he rode a boat through a rural flooded neighborhood. Partially submerged cars and street signs peeked above the water around him.
Areas near Lake Livingston, received upwards of 23 inches of rain over the past week, National Weather Service meteorologist Jimmy Fowler said.
Since last week, storms have forced numerous high-water rescues in the Houston area, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes.
Greg Moss, 68, stayed put in his recreational vehicle on Sunday after leaving his home in Channelview. A day earlier, he packed up many of his belongings and left before the road to his home flooded.
“I would be stuck for four days,” Moss said. “So now at least I can go get something to eat.”
Moss moved his belongings and vehicle to a neighbor’s home, where he planned to stay until the waters receded. The floodwaters had already gone down by a couple of feet and he wasn’t worried his home would flood because it’s located on higher ground, Moss said Sunday.
Harris County debris removal
If your home has been affected by severe flooding, the Harris County Office of Emergency Management has a number you can call to get debris picked up.
The number is 713-274-3880. You can also email homeflooding@harriscountytx.gov.
If you are getting debris picked up at your home, the county asks that you separate it into six different categories – normal household trash, vegetative debris, construction and demolition debris, appliance and white goods, electronics and household chemical waste.
You can see what falls into each category in the post below. Also, make sure not to stack or lean debris that would make removal difficult. And don’t have debris between the sidewalk and your house.