Fort Bend, Brazoria order evacuations
Southwestern counties fear Brazos River levee breaches
Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Fort Bend and Brazoria County on Monday as the Brazos River rose toward historic heights, putting a string of levees at risk of failure.
The amount of water expected to hit Fort Bend County by late Tuesday could reach levels seen only about once ever 800 years.
“It’s a true disaster,” County Judge Robert Hebert said.
The coming danger sent ripples across the county southwest of Houston. People fled to friends’ homes. Hotels booked. Shelters continued to open to try to keep up with the demand. Those evacuating were urged to head north or west.
The water in the Brazos would carry next toward Brazoria County, where officials likewise warned Monday that imminent, widespread flooding in the central and western part of the county would be significantly worse than had been previously seen.
Projections show the Brazos River will reach roughly the same levels there as 2016, but with a significant difference: In 2016, the county was dry when the river broke its banks. This week, following enormous amounts of rain, the river is expected to flood into areas already inundated with rainwater and runoff from nearby creeks. The San Bernard River is also expected to flood in Brazoria County.
“Waters will rise faster,” Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta said. “Rivers will accelerate through the floodplain faster.”
In a 100-year-flood, the Brazos would carry 56 feet of water at the measurement point in Richmond, the county seat. Federal law requires that levee systems be built to withstand heights three feet above that. To accommodate for continued development along the watershed, the county requires a fourth foot, making levees legally required to be able to withstand 60 feet.
If water breaches the levees, it could them to break, allowing water to come rushing through into neighboring communities.
County officials ordered emergency evacuations.
“That’s the risk we can’t take,” Hebert said. “The risk to lives.”
The operations center was in high gear Monday, however, with other protective measures also underway. An emergency berm was built to help protect the jail and other facilities. A bridge that was under construction to be protected against further river damage was being shut down.
Parts of Brazoria County to the south, meanwhile, started to flood in pockets Monday, as county officials made a final plea for residents in the mandatory evacuation zone also to leave the region.
The evacuation zone included virtually all areas west of Highway 288, covering the entire western half of the county.
Sebesta said residents should not expect to be able to leave or return to the area for days once the Brazos River spills over. And unlike last year, when the state sent 300 people to assist, local officials are not expecting significant state help given disaster conditions across the region.
“If you stay and you’re caught by rising waters, it may take a while to get to you,” Sebesta said.
Officials could only hope people heeded their warnings.
In Brazoria, Johnny Penney, 43, said the Brazos River was threatening Monday afternoon when he crossed it on Highway 35 near West Columbia. The river’s water had started turning red.
“That’s when you know it’s going to be bad,” Penney said.
Until Monday, Linda Haskovec was hopeful her home in Columbia Lakes, about a mile west of the river, would avoid major damage. Her home didn’t take on water in 2016, despite its proximity to the Brazos.
But Haskovec’s neighbors reported Monday morning that water had started approaching homes — even before the river flooded its banks. She now worries about Brazoria County struggling to rebuild at the same time Houston is recovering.
“It’s not as populated here as a metropolitan area, but this could create a lot of problems,” Haskovec, 56, said. “Especially since it’s affected Houston so much, we’re all going to need so many things, there’s no way to know how it’s going to go for us.”