Water levels rising, more rain expected in Houston
At least 30 people dead after Texas, Oklahoma storms
ROSENBERG, Texas — The seemingly ceaseless rain has ended in North Texas and Oklahoma, but residents in the greater Houston area warily eyed the swollen, yet-to-crest Brazos River and the skies, which threatened to drop up to another 12.5 centimetres of rain Saturday night.
At least 30 people have been killed in storms that began in Texas and Oklahoma last weekend. Twenty-six of the deaths have been in Texas alone, and 11 people were still missing Saturday.
The Brazos River southwest of Houston was the main area of concern Saturday as floodwaters moved from North and Central Texas downstream toward the Gulf of Mexico.
A creek that empties into the Brazos River — which is expected to rise until Monday and crest at 15 metres — rose 1.2 metres between the time Ricky McCullough, 47, and a friend measured it on Friday night and Saturday morning. An alligator poked its snout above water as he talked.
“I’m concerned about it enough, but I’m a lot more concerned because we have a lot of older people living down here,” he said.
He’s also worried about the forecast of heavy rains — about 2.5 to five centimetres projected for the greater Houston area, according to the National Weather Service. But lead forecaster Scott Overpeck in the Houston office said the storms are expected to be slow-moving and if they stall, parts of the area could receive up to 12.5 cm in just a few hours.
Earlier in the week, the Colorado River in Wharton and the San Jacinto River near Houston were threatening homes, but weather officials said both are expected to recede below flood stage by today.