Houston family anxiously watches storm from afar
While their home is not damaged, they can’t return as airport closed
A Houston family visiting Belle River can only watch and worry as catastrophic flooding continues back home.
“It’s pretty scary. Your heart goes out to your friends and neighbours,” said Kendra Holtby, who has been anxiously following reports on social media of the chaos caused by hurricane Harvey.
Holtby, her husband, and their three children have been in Ontario since mid-August, enjoying Lake Huron cottage life and spending time with Holtby’s parents.
But they’ve been forced to extend their stay as a result of the arrival of Harvey in Houston. Thousands of flights to the Houston Airport System have been cancelled due to the damage caused by the Category 4 hurricane.
The U.S. National Weather Service is predicting that some parts of the Gulf Coast in Texas could receive rain totals of 50 inches (127 centimetres) this week — the highest amounts in the state’s history.
In some parts of Houston, flood waters have risen to the rooflines of single-storey dwellings, requiring the emergency rescue of hundreds and the evacuation of thousands more.
Holtby said she’s been receiving updates about her home from her neighbours, who have told her that in their area of Houston — “everything looks good.”
“Our neighbourhood has had flooding. Our house, in particular, has not,” Holtby explained.
“It’s just how the water has settled in certain areas. Our property, thankfully, runs off quickly, and is in a higher spot. We’re lucky that we haven’t had any flooding into the home. Just halfway up the driveway.”
While water continues to engulf certain sections of the city, Holtby said the latest information about her neighbourhood seems to show the opposite: Their bayous have receded, and their streets are clearing up.
The household’s two dogs were put in a kennel for the trip. “They are safe and sound,” Holtby said. “We’ve checked in on them.”
Holtby said her family moved to Houston just two years ago due to her husband’s career. They hope they’ll be able to return to the city Friday.
“There’s a lot of devastation. It will be a while before it’s back to normal,” Holtby said. “We’ll just have to wait and see what the storm does in the next few days, and what the airports decide.”
Holtby said this weekend’s news reminds her of the catastrophic flooding that Alberta suffered in the summer of 2013.
Her family was living in Calgary at the time. “I’ve definitely seen a city struggle through flooding situations. We were present for that one.”