Residents of the Addicks Reservoir area have taken to social media with their pictures of the lake that has formed over what was Texas Hwy. 6, due to the record-breaking rainfall and subsequent flooding that occurred, resulting from last week’s torrential rainfall.
Facebook/Zachary Nanney
Local News
Highway 6, Houston Becomes Waterworld
By |
Photo: chron.com
Water rippled quietly over the highway, passing just below speed limit signs, leaving only inches of their metal poles visible between them and the lagoon that formed below. On Sunday, May 1, an eerie sight awaited inhabitants of the area, as what once was a bustling commuter route has since morphed into a sort of ghostly canal.
Photo: chron.com
The highway, now closed by the Texas Department of Transportation for a period of no less than 4-6 weeks, passes by homes and roads in similar condition as overflowing waterways continued to dump their deluge into the Addicks Reservoir after last week’s storm.
Photo: chron.com
The Army Corps of Engineer officials have been releasing water from both the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs since April 21, while at a press conference held Wednesday, April 27, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett advised that access around Addicks Reservoir, including Highway 6, would continue to be affected. Emmett stated, “The water that’s going into the reservoir is going to rise for some time, and it will rise slowly. There will be a lot of people who are rightfully concerned as they watch and see the water continuing to rise and come closer to their subdivisions.”
Photo: Zachary Nanney via Facebook
A first for the area, that same evening, forecasters announced a flood warning was in effect through Saturday, April 30, afternoon for areas surrounding Addicks Reservoir and Barker Reservoir. The possibility for more problems both north and south of Lake Houston are continuing to be monitored as runoff from the epic amounts of rainfall could result in the rise of the San Jacinto River, however for the most part, Judge Emmett advised that county waterways should see their levels continue to drop, commencing this week.
Photo: houstonpress.com
In the meantime, Harris County, which has since been declared a disaster area by Governor Abbott, is said to be working on a complete damage assessment due to the storm, which it hopes to submit to both state and federal governments. In order to be eligible for federal emergency funding, the monetary amount of the assessment would need to be more than $14 million.
References:
