As Beta nears, man eyes flood fix

WINNIE — In 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded Richie DeVillier’s home. It took a year to rebuild. Then, in 2019, Tropical Storm Imelda flooded it again. His family moved back in earlier this year.

It didn’t stop there. This summer, DeVillier worried about Hurricane Laura. And in recent days, he’s been glued to weather updates for Tropical Storm Beta.

The constant threat of storms for DeVillier feels especially maddening, though, because he believes his flooding problem can be fixed.

DeVillier lives in Chambers County, on land where generations of his family have lived. From his yard, he can see traffic on I-10, where he has twice watched the concrete median barrier hold back water like a dam.

Without that barrier, DeVillier believes his home would be safe because water could drain to the coast. Instead, it builds up on the north side, leaving the south side dry. So he pursued a lawsuit, which he and a group of others filed against the state in May.

In August, the state department of transportation announced it would put in a new barrier with openings at the bottom to allow for drainage — brief cause for celebration. Officials meanwhile installed temporary barriers to be removed “should there be a need.”

Under an overcast sky Monday, DeVillier was wishing for more clarity on that phrase, “should there be a need.” He felt less worried about Beta than he had in previous days, but he still remembered how Imelda had surprised the region.

“I never say ‘never’ anymore,” he said.

His neighbors weren’t taking safety for granted, either. One couple booked a hotel room. Another house still had boarded-up windows from Laura. DeVillier would have preferred for those barriers to be taken out.

“We’re not going to stop fighting,” he said. “I don’t want to leave this mess for my children.”