Heavy rains ease around Houston but flooding remains after hundreds of rescues and evacuations
HOUSTON– Floodwaters closed some schools in Texas on Monday after days of heavy rains lashed the Houston area and led to hundreds of rescues, including people on rooftops.
A 5-year-old boy died after riding in a car that was swept away by swift water, authorities said.
Although forecasters expected storms to subside in southeast Texas, high waters continued to close some roads, leaving residents facing lengthy cleanup efforts in neighborhoods where rising river levels led to evacuation orders over the weekend.
Houston is one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the country. Hurricane Harvey dumped historic rainfall in 2017 that flooded thousands of homes and resulted in more than 60,000 rescues.
In a rain-soaked part of Houston, school officials in Channelview canceled classes and said a survey of their employees showed many of them had experienced circumstances that kept them from coming to work.
“These people have suffered a lot, folks,” Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace said Sunday during a Facebook livestream as he rode a boat through a flooded rural neighborhood. Partially submerged cars and street signs peeked above the water around him.
Areas near Lake Livingston, located northeast of Houston, received more than 20 inches of rain in the past week, National Weather Service meteorologist Jimmy Fowler said.
In Johnson County, south of Fort Worth, a 5-year-old boy died when he was swept away after the vehicle he was riding in became stuck in fast-moving water near the community of Lillian just before 2 a.m., an official said Sunday. .
The child and two adults were trying to reach dry ground when they were swept away. The adults were rescued around 5 a.m. and taken to a hospital, while the child was found dead in the water around 7:20 a.m., Johnson County Emergency Management Director Jamie Moore wrote in a social media post.
Storms brought 9 inches of rain in a span of six to eight hours in some areas from central Texas to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Stalley said.
Since last week, storms have forced numerous high-water rescues in the Houston area, including some from the roofs of flooded homes.
Greg Moss, 68, remained in his recreational vehicle Sunday after leaving his home in the community of Channelview in eastern Harris County, near the San Jacinto River. A day earlier, he had packed up many of his belongings and left before the road to his home was flooded.
“I’d be stuck for four days,” Moss said. “So at least now I can get something to eat.”
Moss moved his belongings and car to a neighbor’s house, where he planned to stay until the water receded. The water had already receded several feet and he was not concerned that his home would flood because it is on higher ground, Moss said Sunday.
___
Stengle reported from Dallas and Associated Press reporter Juan A. Lozano contributed to this report.
___
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental reporting receives funding from several private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s Standards for Working with Charities, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.