Region again starts to recover from flood
Spring and Cypress creeks swell after last week’s bands of heavy rainfall in area
As the region was pummeled by torrential downpours and its second major flooding event in less than two months last week, high rainfall caused Spring and Cypress creeks to swell, flooding roads, parks and homes. Last week, Spring received up to 13 inches of rain in parts.
Parks along the creeks suffered severe damage after three weeks of recovery from the Tax Day floods. Mercer Botanic Gardens, which holds the region’s largest collection of native and cultivated plants, was again submerged after staff and volunteers worked for a month to get a section of the park open again in time for Memorial Day weekend. Dennis Johnston, Pundt and Jesse H. Jones parks were hit hard, and the Spring Creek Greenway Trail remains closed due to flood damage.
Harris County was not one of the 31 counties included in Gov. Greg Abbott’s disaster declaration for the Memorial Day weekend flooding, a prerequisite for a presidential disaster declaration and eligibility for federal aide funds. Officials encourage county residents affected by the storms to register damage at readyharris.org.
In southern Montgomery County, the storms again slammed the floodprone Spring subdivision of Timber Lakes-Timber Ridge, flooding over a hundred homes for the second time this year.
Submerged subdivision
Lori Howard’s home on Glen Loch Drive took on about two inches of water during the Tax Day floods, but was spared from damage Memorial Day weekend. Because her house is on slightly elevated ground, it wasn’t hit nearly as badly as some of her neighbors’ homes.
The flooding stopped short of seeping into Howard’s home again, but just two streets down, one neighbor’s house was flooded up to the roof, she said.
The couple next door to her, who is renting, took on water for the second time in just over a month. Even though their landlord has flood insurance and has paid for them to stay in a hotel during clean up, the couple has threatened to leave because of the anxiety caused by the repeated flooding, Howard said.
They’re not the only ones who feel that way. Several houses along the streets in the subdivision, now lined with debris from the second flood, have “For Sale” signs in the front lawns. And as the threat of more rain and the start of hurricane season looms, Howard said the anxiety is getting worse.
“There’s a panic attack that happens the closer (the water) gets to the house,” Howard said.
At Panther Creek Inspiration Ranch on Glen Loch Drive, a nonprofit dedicated to therapeutic horseback riding for people with special needs, the May floods hit just as they were planning to start up lessons again for the first time since the April floods.
In April, up to 10 feet of water washed through the ranch, causing more than $100,000 in damages, although the horses were safely evacuated.
After weeks of volunteer hours cleaning up downed tree limbs and fences and getting the facilities back in order, the second floods came through, again forcing the evacuation of the horses. What was different this time, however, was that the staff and volunteers had the foresight to rebuild with future floods in mind. The tack and feed rooms were rebuilt to be sturdier and supplies were stored above the flash flood level.
Now, whenever heavy rains are in the forecast, the staff is prepared for the worst, said MG Tindall, the ranch’s president.
“Anytime we’re in for a lot of rain, we stage the trailers for an exit,” Tindall said. “We’re ready to go … that’s the prep we’ve learned.”
While the continuous rain has pushed back resuming lessons, Tindall said she was hopeful to have the ranch back up and running this week.
“We will rise above this challenge,” Tindall wrote on the ranch’s website.
But not all those who live in the hard-hit areas are as hopeful. Howard, who lives down the road from Inspiration Ranch, said she believes many of her neighbors are planning to abandon the neighborhood entirely.
But, as a homeowner, Howard said she has little choice but to hunker down and hope her house is spared. As a real estate agent, she understands that selling any home in danger of flooding is nearly impossible.
“If you own here, you just can’t (sell),” she said. “Who’s going to buy here?”
Howard said she has already had to contest her home’s tax appraisal this year because it didn’t take into account the drop in value this year’s flooding has brought.
Before the flooding, the home on Glen Loch Drive was the Howards’ dream home.
The garage, which is big enough to fit three cars and a full bathroom, was perfect to serve as Eugene’s “Man Cave” and a home for his prized Corvette. The price and proximity to Woodlands amenities, as well as the relative seclusion, fit well for her.
Still, after the stress brought on from the flooding, Howard is already using her real estate savvy to start looking for a new place to live. One that is not in a flood zone.
“We will eventually flood,” Howard said. “(My husband) is going to have to give up the idea of the ‘Man Cave.’ We’ll find another unique property.”