Weather
Fort Bend County Issues Disaster Declaration After Tuesdays Flood
Fort Bend County Judge KP George issued a disaster declaration for flash flooding and potential Brazos River flooding.
RICHMOND, TX — The rain started falling in parts of Fort Bend County at about 3 p.m., and by 9 p.m., more than 10 inches of rain had flooded streets forcing County Judge KP George to issue a disaster declaration.
“Our residents need to understand that this is a serious threat,” George said in a statement Tuesday, “this flash flooding tonight is contributing to the Brazos River levels, which still pose a threat later this week. We are not out of the woods yet.”
The disaster declaration set in motion the county's use of its emergency management plan, and is the first step in state and federal disaster declarations.
Find out what's happening in Sugar Landfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
We've over 7 inches of rain during the past four hours. All major roadways impassable. Seek high ground and avoid driving if possible. More rain is expected. Please report any incidents of house flooding in Sugar Land at https://t.co/Dbj5yxbzRz.
— City of Sugar Land (@SugarLandtxgov) May 8, 2019
Fort Bend County Emergency Management and Homeland Security began monitoring the Brazos River on May 6, as runoff from storms in north and central Texas began to cause the river levels to increase.
Officials predict the Brazos River, which was at 42.06 feet before the storm on Tuesday, will rise to at least 46.1 feet by Friday.
Find out what's happening in Sugar Landfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The flash flooding that occurred in Sugar Land, Richmond, Rosenberg, Fulshear, Missouri City, and other more rural communities, made the roads impassable.
Emergency management officials warned residents to stay off the roadways, and if they couldn't to seek higher ground.
According to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office areas of Sunrise Meadows were still flooded and inaccessible. "A Deputy stayed with the vehicles on Koeblen Rd all night. Please make your way out to them to move as soon as possible," a statement from the sheriff's office read.
Officials said that as of 5 a.m. Wednesday, Williams Way between US 59 and FM 762 was still flooded.
Forecasters are calling for more rain this week, with the most severe band of storms impacting the Houston area between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning.
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