Houston – Life-threatening conditions continued Thursday in parts of southeast Texas, as torrential rain and severe weather battered the region, causing rivers to overflow their banks and inundating many communities along the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers. Emergency evacuation has begun.
That part of Texas has been experiencing relentless rain since Sunday, with rain gauges near Trinity reporting 6 to 9 inches, and nearly 11 inches in Groveton due to a series of storms late last weekend and early this week. It rained. .
Multiple flash flood warnings were issued for several parts of Texas on Thursday as precipitation increased over much of the same region on Tuesday and Wednesday, increasing rainfall totals even further.
More than 10 inches of rain fell in Waterwood on Wednesday, and Sebastopol was close behind with 9 inches.
Many other areas received more than half a foot of rain, including Loma, Freestone and Huntsville.
“There are hundreds of low-lying watercourses in the foothills that can be dangerous during heavy rains,” the NWS warned. “Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Please find an alternative route.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Weather Prediction Center on Thursday placed tens of millions of people from Texas to Wisconsin at Level 2 of a four-level risk for heavy rain.
But more heavy rain is expected to continue in Southeast Texas, and forecasters are downgrading the threat to level 3 of the 4 levels of excessive rainfall that led to numerous flood reports, or moderate. raised to risk.
Mandatory evacuation ordered in San Jacinto County due to flooding
Voluntary and mandatory evacuations were ordered in several areas along Texas' Trinity and San Jacinto rivers, and schools were closed throughout the region.
High water rescue trucks plowed into communities in San Jacinto County on Wednesday, with some people refusing to leave their homes despite the danger and authorities' calls to evacuate.
“I think one of the biggest issues we face is the fact that some people don't want to follow evacuation orders,” Huffman Fire Department Chief Tyler Shirley said. “The first rescue we conducted tonight was exactly that scenario. A person who wanted to stay found out the water was rising faster than he expected. And we ended up following him. I had to follow him back there.”
Shirley claimed the floods were unprecedented because of the speed with which water levels were rising.
However, the life-threatening situation in the area appears to be worsening, which led San Jacinto County officials to issue a mandatory evacuation order for residents living in unincorporated areas of the county below the Lake Livingston Dam and along the Trinity River. river.
Residents have been told to evacuate with family and friends or to hotels, but if this is not possible, evacuation centers have been opened.
Montgomery County residents told to immediately evacuate to higher ground
The Montgomery County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management issued an emergency message on Facebook Thursday urging residents living along the West Fork of the San Jacinto River south of Lake Conroe Dam to take immediate precautions due to a significant rise in water levels. I warned you. released downstream.
The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) had increased its release to 66,100 cubic feet per second, and downstream flooding was imminent, according to a Facebook post.
“All residents downstream of the West Branch of the San Jacinto River should immediately begin evacuating to higher ground,” officials warned.
More torrential rain falls across southeast Texas on Thursday.
Parts of East and Southeast Texas remain highly saturated, and forecasters expect more rain and thunderstorms into Thursday.
Unrelenting and severe storms continue to batter areas from Texas to the upper Midwest on Thursday
“The trends we're seeing in Walker County, Polk County, and Liberty County north of Houston are of great concern because we've actually had live reporters in those areas over the last few days telling us that residents are being evacuated. '' said FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin.
FOX 26 Houston reporter Shelby Rose said Wednesday that eight people and 23 dogs had to be rescued from a home in Texas' most populous Harris County.
Flood watches remain in place for parts of Texas and Louisiana Thursday as additional rain and severe weather batters the region.
“The same area is now under attack, so that's a big concern,” Merwin continued. “That's why flood watches are in place. It's not just about flash flood concerns, how much is actually falling from the sky, but everything that's filtering through the system. .”
Houston is one of the Texas cities under a flood watch, along with Waco, Lufkin and Huntsville. Most of western and northern Louisiana, from Shreveport through Alexandria to Lake Charles, is also on alert.
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Most of East Texas is expected to see an additional 1 to 2 inches of warming through the remainder of this week. However, heavy rain continues to fall across large areas of Southeast Texas, with forecast precipitation totals expected to increase further.
About 2 to 3 inches more could fall north and west of the Dallas area, with an additional 3 to 5 inches possible.
Areas north and east of Houston could also see precipitation totals of 2 to 3 inches over the weekend, with some areas potentially receiving an additional 3 to 5 inches.
The risk of flooding will continue across the region until at least Sunday, when conditions are expected to improve.