‘Starting to look a lot better’: Rain aids Mosquito fire battle, but brings flood, mudflow risk
by Eric Berger, USA TODAY
by Eric Berger, USA TODAY
HOUSTON – The rain was just starting to come down outside the flooded houses at the corner of Westcott and Westmoreland streets in Houston, prompting some residents and volunteers to make their way onto the street in an effort to provide as much water as possible to the city’s remaining residents.
But all the rain brought with it a flood threat — which the National Weather Service said will likely last until Thursday.
The NWS said heavy rain this morning in Houston is likely to cause rivers to rise. The rain, which came down as a downpour, is expected to bring the crest of the Rice, Sabine and Brazos rivers to 20 feet.
“It’s all about moving water,” said Dave Fults, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jefferson City, Mo. “This is going to cause some flooding problems, but we’re only talking about an inch today.”
Houston was a little bit better off overnight. “It’s a little more like rain, but it’s not quite rain,” said Tom O’Connor, whose Houston office has been preparing residents for the possibility that their homes might flood.
O’Connor said people are being told to stay off of streets and expect the level of flood waters to stay between 3 and 5 feet and stay above the property line.
So far only one neighborhood, the Westmoreland corridor in southeast Houston, is under a mandatory evacuation order.
NWS Houston forecast office said the storm has brought in more rain than any of the past five years. The rainfall is not expected to increase much in the coming hours.
Houstonians prepare for big storm
The rain has not caused any problems for those in the neighborhood, said O’Connor. “The rain hasn’t gotten in the way of us doing our normal things,” he said.
As of 8 a.m. local time, water was
