Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District, warned of a “life-threatening situation” due to flash flooding developing in northwest Harris County. “Houston residents should avoid travel at all costs today”.
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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says officials are trying to determine if the body of a person found in a vehicle submerged in water is a storm-related death.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett signed an emergency declaration for the county, saying more than 1,000 homes had already been flooded, and authorities had responded to more than 1,200 flooding emergencies.
“It is believed the auto rode off the road and into a ditch”, Duhon said.
High water forced some drivers on the top of the vehicles, waiting for rescue. “We will rescue you”.
More than 1000 homes flooded… Some people were trapped in their homes or attics, fire department spokesman Ruy Lozano said. He said traffic cameras recorded the vehicle going around the blockade and heading into the water.
Nine hospitals in the region were closed to additional patients because of the flooding, the mayor said. Three apartment buildings had been evacuated and residents were being sheltered at a mall, he said. As of 2 p.m. Monday, Harris County officials told the newspaper that first responders had rescued 1,222 from rising waters in Houston and its suburbs. “Many of those homes haven’t flooded before”.
The water is taking over shopping centers and parking lots. He posted video to Twitter later showing the waters had gone down slightly, though levels still reached auto windshields. City bus and rail service shut down early Monday amid “severe and ever worsening weather conditions”.
More than 470 flights were canceled at Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airport in the morning hours.
Around 45,000 customers in the region were without power as of Monday afternoon, emergency management officials said, down from a peak of 123,000 earlier in the day.
More than a foot of rain had fallen by Monday evening in parts of Houston, submerging scores of subdivisions and several major interstate highways, forcing the closure of schools and knocking out power to thousands of residents who were urged to shelter in place.
“This is an unprecedented amount of rain”, Turner said.
Flash flood watches have been issued through Tuesday morning for Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Tyler-Longview and as far east as Texarkana.
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The mayor said at a midday briefing that the heavy rainfall has moved to the south and that the city is anticipating only about another half-inch the rest of the day.
