Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo lifted a mandatory evacuation order for the East Fork of the San Jacinto River Monday after days of rainfall caused flooding near Hurricane Harvey levels.
“Today is good news,” said Hidalgo, who added that no more major rain threats were expected. “We are out of the woods.”
The county is shifting from response mode to recovery mode, she added.
Most people should be able to return to their homes without any problems. Hidalgo cautioned, however, that some areas near the West Fork of the San Jacinto River and Bala Woods, North Shore and Forest Cove may continue to see elevated water levels, but said the river was receding more quickly than expected. Most roads were clear in Kingwood, she said, though she still urged people not to drive into standing water as it can hide debris.
“We can absolutely see the light at the end of the tunnel and we’ve made it through the worst of this weather event,” she said.
Nearly 235 people and 185 pets were rescued by local first responders, Hidalgo said, and no major injuries or deaths were reported in Harris County.
Other parts of the state were not as lucky. Gov. Greg Abbott said at a Monday afternoon news conference at least three people have died, including a child in Johnson County swept away by floodwaters.
Officials still are evaluating the extent of the flood damage and are working with state and federal partners to get more resources. At least 91 counties, were impacted by the weather and four of those had disaster declarations.
Parts of Montgomery County, including Conroe, were hit hard, prompting voluntary evacuations in some areas. Residents had begun returning to their homes Monday.
In total, more than 500 people were rescued and at least 800 reports of damage have been received, the governor said. That number is expected to rise as people return home and begin assessing their structures, Abbott said.
Since last Wednesday, more than 13 inches of rain fell in the region around the San Jacinto River, including almost 9 inches in the Woodlands, according to data from the Harris County Flood Warning System. The Tomball area saw upwards of 10 inches, while areas closer to the city of Houston only saw about 2 to 3 inches.
Hidalgo said the damage may be too limited to procure grants, but she will head to Washington, D.C. Tuesday night to ask federal officials to speed up funding for buyouts for those impacted by the floods.
She also said she will lobby for Small Business Administration loans that would allow flood victims some relief.
The heavy rains caused school closures and flash floods across north Houston and outlying areas. At one point, nearly 82,000 customers were without power, according to a CenterPoint Energy outage map.
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