“This threat is ongoing and will get worse. These are not typical river floods,” warned Lina Hidalgo, who is the top elected official in Harris County, which includes the city of Houston. She added that security forces had already had to rescue children from a school bus that got stuck in high water. But according to her, they are all fine.
More than 8 inches of rain fell in the past 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), which has issued a flood warning for the region until Tuesday. A flash flood warning was also in effect in the area this morning local time (afternoon CET).
The situation is particularly troubling, according to AP, in the area along the San Jacinto River, whose water level is expected to continue to rise. because it is raining more and more and the authorities have released more water into the stream from the already overflowing reservoir.
On Thursday, Hidalgo issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents living along parts of the river, calling the situation “life-threatening” and “catastrophic.” According to her, several hundred buildings are at risk of flooding. Hidalgo also warned people living along the stream in the southern part of the district that they could be stranded for days if they stay in their homes.
Authorities have not yet reported any injuries or deaths, but several people had to be rescued from the water.
In the town of Conrou, north of Houston, rescuers took boats into several neighborhoods to take away residents and their pets. Neighborhoods and businesses in Livingston, which is northeast of Conroe, were flooded. In College Station, a driver was rescued Thursday from a light pole she had climbed when the car she was driving into high water in a parking lot was swept away by the current.
