Houston was hit again by severe storms today, leaving drivers stranded and a school bus full of children having to be rescued at high tide due to flooding.
The latest downpour has further increased fears of dangerous flooding in Texas.
Following today’s flooding, officials have redoubled efforts and warnings, asking residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, fearing the worst was yet to come.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo warned, “This threat is ongoing and will only get worse. It’s not your typical river flood.”
She further described the flood as ‘catastrophic’ and said hundreds of structures were at risk of flooding.
So far, authorities have carried out at least 20 water rescues in the province, in addition to rescuing 30 pets.
Schools in the flood’s path have canceled classes and roads remain gridlocked as officials close highways. Authorities have not yet reported any deaths or injuries.
Conroe firefighter Cody Leroy transports a resident evacuated in a boat from her flooded home by the CFD Rapid Intervention Team in the aftermath of a major storm
Caney Creek Fire and Rescue responders carry a dog from a flooded area
A man carries his dogs rescued from his home by boat by Caney Creek Fire and Rescue on River Plantation Drive
For weeks, torrential rains in Texas and parts of Louisiana have filled reservoirs and completely saturated the ground.
Flooding began this week, partially submerging cars and roads in parts of southeastern Texas north of Houston, where high water reached the roofs of some homes.
In the rural community of Shepherd, Gilroy Fernandes said he and his wife had about an hour to evacuate after a mandatory order. Their house is on stilts near the Trinity River, and they felt relief when the waters started to recede Thursday, but things took a turn for the worse overnight.
“Next thing you know, overnight they started releasing more water from the dam at Livingston. And so that caused the level of the river to jump almost one and a half meters overnight,” Fernandes said.
Neighbors who left an hour later found themselves stuck in traffic due to flooding.
Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough claims there have been more high-water rescues than he could count.
“We estimate we’ve had a couple hundred rescues from homes, from homes, from vehicles,” Keough said.
A woman is rescued from her home by airboat by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputies
Family members survey the damage after a tree fell on Monica Ramirez’s home during a heavy storm
A child in a car seat is removed from a boat as residents are evacuated from their homes by boat by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputies
More than 10 inches of rain has fallen across the county in the past 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
In Crosby, school officials said the driver of a school bus carrying 27 students stopped his vehicle just before driving into high water Friday.
The students had to exit through a back door and were taken to the campuses by another bus.
Later, Crosby School District Superintendent Paula Patterson said, “I am proud of our bus driver’s quick action.”
Of particular concern was an area along the San Jacinto River, in the eastern part of the province, which was expected to continue rising as more rain falls and officials release additional water from an already full reservoir.
A pick-up truck maneuvers through a waterlogged residential street in Woodloch
A woman is handed her child after being evacuated from her home by boat with the help of officers from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
Hidalgo officials have issued a mandatory evacuation order for those living along parts of the river.
The county has also warned others living along the river in southern parts of Hidalgo that they could be stranded for days if they remain in their homes.
As a result, shelters have opened across the region, including nine operated by the American Red Cross.
In the city of Conroe, just north of Houston, rescuers drive boats into neighborhood subdivisions to rescue people and pets from their homes, then move them off the boats to higher ground.
In nearby Livingston, neighborhoods were flooded, with water rising to the windshields of moving vans and above the bottom of the windows of some buildings.
A woman responds as she and others are evacuated from their homes by boat by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office deputies
A helicopter flies above the San Jacinto River, which burst its banks after a heavy storm
Storms over the past month in southeastern Texas and parts of Louisiana dumped more than 2 feet (61 centimeters) of rain in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.
The greater Houston area covers approximately 10,000 square miles – a footprint slightly larger than that of New Jersey.
It is crossed by approximately 1,700 miles of canals, creeks and swamps that empty into the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles southeast of downtown.
The city’s system of bayous and reservoirs was built to drain heavy rainfall. But the technology, originally designed nearly 100 years ago, has struggled to keep up with the city’s growth and larger storms.