‘Dead in the water’: Hurricane Beryl floods Houston bayous, strands cars, drivers

A gaggle of Midtown residents watched — their iPhones raised and recording — as a Houston Fire High Water Rescue vehicle pulled up to the corner of Allen Parkway and Taft Street before 1 p.m. Monday.

The water strike team trudged through waist-high floodwaters to make sure there was no one inside the two-door Hyundai coupe sedan that the Buffalo Bayou had submerged.

“All clear, no one inside,” a first responder said.

As of 11 a.m., the Houston Fire Department has undertaken more than 50 water rescues, and the police department has executed another 30 water rescues, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña told Houston Landing. As the day goes on, more rescues are inevitable.

Joe Ross and his partner sighed in relief that no one was trapped in the Hyundai, while clutching their 2-year-old Brussels Griffon pups, Smudge and Palos Anto.

“I was here during Harvey, and the water was way up there,” Ross said, gesturing to Walker Street, about half a mile further south.

“But, a lot of trees are down and that seems to be worse,” the 12-year resident added.

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by Houston Landing staff

Hurricane Beryl tore through Houston Monday morning, peaking around 83 miles per hour, killing at least two and knocking out power for more than 2.5 million customers. But the most immediate safety concern for Harris County and Houston officials was flooding.

Peña cautioned drivers not to pass through flooded roads because if a vehicle becomes trapped, everyone in that car is in danger.

“You’re dead in the water, essentially,” he said.

A pair of Good Samaritan brothers

Ross’ neighbor, 21-year-old Julia Delise, has lived in a nearby apartment for the past year and was surprised by the storm’s severity.

“I bought a (portable) stove for $12, but luckily I don’t have to use it,” Delise said. “Still I have a lot of relatives without power on the southwest side.”

She wasn’t the only Houstonian shocked.

Half a mile west on Montrose Boulevard, brothers Daniel and Bras Salvador watched in horror as a black Audi A6 sedan attempted to cross a flooded Allen Parkway that resembled more of a river than a road.

The driver, Malcolm Junior, found himself stuck in Buffalo Bayou’s spillover when the brothers leapt into action.

The Salvadors’ pushed the back of the Audi as Junior manned the driver side and a few other Good Samaritans dragged the car, gear shift in neutral, south toward Montrose Boulevard.

“It was really bad,” Daniel, 28, said.

Daniel used to live in Kentucky and had experienced a tornado before, but nothing quite like this.

His older Salvador brother, Bras, pulled up a video he took from their high-rise apartment of a crane spinning through the air over the Harris County Jail.

“Downtown is a mess,” Bras said.

Paul Cobler contributed to this story.