One crew took a family and three dogs aboard as rising waters surrounded their cars and home.
A flood watch was in effect through Sunday afternoon as forecasters predicted additional rainfall Saturday night and the possibility of major flooding.
“It’s going to continue to grow like this,” said Miguel Flores Jr. of the northeast Houston neighborhood of Kingwood.
“We don’t know how much longer. We’re just preparing for the worst.”
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Husband and wife Aaron Brown, 45, and Jamie Brown, 41, were two of the many residents who drove or walked to watch the rising waters near a flooded intersection near the San Jacinto River.
Nearby restaurants and a gas station were starting to flood.
Water could be seen running in parts of the couple’s unit, but Aaron Brown said he wasn’t worried because their home is at a higher elevation than others in the neighborhood.
Brown, who had left his home in a golf cart, said the flooding was not as bad as Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
He pointed to nearby power lines and said flooding during Harvey reached the top of the lines.
Residents of low-lying areas are asked to evacuate
Friday’s ferocious storms forced numerous high-water rescues, including some from the roofs of flooded homes.
Officials doubled down on emergency instructions for residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, warning that the worst was yet to come.
“A lull in heavy rain is expected by (Saturday) evening,” according to the National Weather Service.
“The next round of heavy rain is expected late (Saturday) into Sunday.”
Up to 76.2mm of additional rainfall was expected, with up to 127mm possible in isolated areas.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said more rain is expected Sunday, and if it’s a lot, it could be problematic.
Hidalgo is the highest-ranking elected official in the nation’s third-largest county.
Continued rain left parts of Texas drenched and residents trapped
Most weekends, Miguel Flores Sr. mows his huge yard behind his Kingwood home.
But on Saturday, he and his family loaded several cars with clothes, small appliances and other belongings.
Water from the San Jacinto River had already engulfed his backyard and was continuing to rise – what was about 0.3 meters high in the yard on Friday was measured at about 1.2 meters the next day.
“It’s sad, but what can I do,” Flores said. He added that he has flood insurance.
For weeks, torrential rains in Texas and parts of Louisiana filled reservoirs and saturated the ground.
This week, flooding partially submerged cars and roads in parts of southeast Texas north of Houston, reaching the roofs of some homes.
More than 530 mm fell in a five-day period through Friday in Liberty County near the town of Splendora, about 50 kilometers northeast of Houston, according to the National Weather Service.
Hidalgo said Saturday that 178 people and 122 pets have been rescued so far in the county.
Dozens of rescues took place in neighboring Montgomery County.
In Polk County, about 100 miles northeast of Houston, officials said they had performed more than 100 water rescues in the past few days.
Houston is one of the most flood-prone urban areas in the United States
Authorities in Houston have not reported any deaths or injuries.
The city of more than two million people is one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the country and has years of experience dealing with devastating weather.
Of particular concern was an area along the San Jacinto River, which was expected to continue rising as more rain fell and authorities released water from a full reservoir.
Hidalgo issued a mandatory evacuation order Thursday for people living along parts of the river.
The Met Office said the river was near 22.6 meters late Saturday morning after reaching nearly 23.7 metres.
The rapidly changing forecast says the river is expected to drop almost to flood stage of 17.6 meters by Thursday.
Most of Houston’s city limits were not greatly affected by the weather.
Officials said the area received about four months of rain in about a week.
