Fatal Floods in Southeast Texas

by Jacob Sanchez and Ayan Mittra

The Houston area is grappling with devastating floods that have been blamed for at least five deaths, and Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a disaster declaration for nine counties in the state.

The Houston Chronicle’s Mike Morris, Mihir Zaveri and Mike Tolson reported Monday that area residents “were confronted by power outages, submerged and dangerous roadways, overloaded bayous, and flooded homes, some recently rebuilt after last year’s Memorial Day deluge.”

Authorities said that five people drowned as a result of the storm. Abbott made a disaster declaration for nine counties: Harris, Bastrop, Colorado, Fort Bend, Grimes, Montgomery, Waller, Wharton and Austin.

The declaration allows local officials to implement state emergency-assistance plans and order curfews, if necessary, if the heavy rains continue through Tuesday, the Chronicle reported. Pending a detailed damage assessment, a federal disaster declaration is expected in a few days.

“Some areas of Houston had well over a foot of rain in 24 hours,” Abbott said. “That’s the most I have ever seen.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said that there were 10 to 15 inches of rainfall in some parts of the city.

“I don’t think anyone expected the rainfall to come as soon as it did and persist as long as it did,” he said, according to the Chronicle.

Turner acknowledged that the event was difficult to forecast but said that city officials would not have prepared any differently than they did.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/19/the-brief/.