HOUSTON (KFSM) — Residents were warned to leave immediately after the Columbia Lakes levee in Brazoria County, which is just south of Houston, broke on Tuesday morning (Aug. 29).
County officials tweeted for residents to “GET OUT NOW!!”
More than 30 inches of rain has fallen in some areas of Houston after Tropical Storm Harvey parked over the area. It’s expected to dump up to two more feet of rain before the storm dissipates, which has authorities saying the worst could still be ahead, reported CBS Dallas / Fort Worth.
Two other Houston reservoirs are overflowing, despite a controlled water release that aimed to prevent flooding downtown.
After days of heavy rain, the Addicks and Barker reservoirs are at record high levels. The Army Corps of Engineers has released water from both reservoirs, but the amount of water entering exceeds the amount being released, causing floodwaters to overflow the spillways.
Jeff Lindner, with the Harris County Flood Control District, said he’s certain that more homes and streets will flood as a result of overflowing reservoirs. He said the county is trying to determine where the water will go, specifically from the north end of the Addicks reservoir.
He says some homes could be flooded “for up to a month.”
The flood gauge at the Barker reservoir is overwhelmed and disabled and officials are worried the Addicks gauge also will fail.
