A Houston flooding has left five people dead, and authorities have announced that more rain is expected, and there is little they can do to help residents. The heavy flooding has damaged numerous homes, caused a massive power outage and forced the city to close schools, banks, and countless government buildings.
It has been confirmed that at least five people were killed during the Houston flooding. According to Texas authorities, while Houston is known for its annual flooding, this year, the natural disaster has impacted the community more than before.
In a press conference, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, the county’s chief administrator, revealed that more than 240 billion gallons of rain have fallen in Houston. According to Emmett, this year’s flooding is as disastrous as the Tropical Storm Allison, which struck the area in 2001 and caused $5 billion in property damage.
He stated that thousands of homes have been flooded, more than 450 high-water rescues were conducted, and more than 100,000 residents are facing power outage. The flooding was the reason that forced one million students to remain home.
Two interstates – I-10 and I-45 – and the major north-south freeway were under water near downtown. More than 800 flights were canceled at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport and nearly 200 at Hobby Airport. Hundreds of animals have been rescued from the water, including 70 horses along Cypresswood Drive, dozens of dogs, and an armadillo.
In the press conference, Emmett asked Texans to abide by the now famous saying “turn around, don’t drown” because all the victims were found in their vehicles trying to drive against the water. The County judge said:
“…two bodies were found in a vehicle shown on traffic cameras driving around barricades and unsuccessfully attempt to navigate a flooded underpass.
In addition, one person, believed a contractor with the city’s airport system, was found in a submerged vehicle not far from the airport. A second person, a truck driver, was found dead in the cab of his rig after encountering high water on a freeway service road.”
The National Weather Service has warned of more flash flooding and according to Sylvester Turner, the city’s mayor, there is not much they can do about it. Turner said:
“I regret anyone whose home is flooded again. There’s nothing I can say that’s going to ease your frustration. We certainly can’t control the weather. A lot of rain coming in a very short period of time, there’s nothing you can do.”
Philip Bedient, an engineering professor at Rice University, agreed that the flooding problem can not be solved. Bedient, who has worked with the Texas Medical Center on better preparing its facilities for massive rainfall, explained:
“All we can do is a better job warning. Could we have engineered our way out of this? Only if we started talking about alterations 35 or 40 years ago.”
The story of a “Man in sinking car” has made Steve Campion, a local reporter a hero. Campion was about to go live on breaking news coverage on the flooding when he saw a man driving into the deep waters. Campion yelled at the man:
“Dude, you’ve got to get out of the car. You’ve got to get out!Leave the car! Swim!”
The man opened the passenger door and crawled out.
