Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff
In Harris County, subdivisions like Wimbledon Champions Park (pictured) periodically end up under water. That's the way the city's always been, but the problem is getting worse.
In Harris County, subdivisions like Wimbledon Champions Park (pictured) periodically end up under water. That's the way the city's always been, but the problem is getting worse.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff
Cowboys work to rescue a herd of cattle from a flooded field as the Brazos River overflows its banks Saturday, June 4, 2016 near Chenango.
Cowboys work to rescue a herd of cattle from a flooded field as the Brazos River overflows its banks Saturday, June 4, 2016 near Chenango.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Cowboys work to rescue a herd of cattle from a flooded field as the Brazos River overflows its banks Saturday, June 4, 2016 near Chenango.
Cowboys work to rescue a herd of cattle from a flooded field as the Brazos River overflows its banks Saturday, June 4, 2016 near Chenango.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A rescue vehicle drives down FM 1462 as the Brazos River floods Saturday, June 4, 2016 in Rosharon.
A rescue vehicle drives down FM 1462 as the Brazos River floods Saturday, June 4, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Boaters drive alongside FM 1462 as the Brazos River floods Saturday, June 4, 2016 in Rosharon.
Boaters drive alongside FM 1462 as the Brazos River floods Saturday, June 4, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A fawn stands in flood water as it passes over a road Saturday, June 4, 2016 in Rosharon.
A fawn stands in flood water as it passes over a road Saturday, June 4, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A vulture flies above flooding along the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016.
A vulture flies above flooding along the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Homes sit under flood water along the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016.
Homes sit under flood water along the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A man rides his bike while a woman wades through flood waters from the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016 near Holiday Lakes.
A man rides his bike while a woman wades through flood waters from the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016 near Holiday Lakes.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A home is surrounded by flood waters from the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016.
A home is surrounded by flood waters from the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A home is surrounded by flood waters from the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016 in Rosharon.
A home is surrounded by flood waters from the Brazos River Saturday, June 4, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A sign outside the Hitching Post warns of high water to come Friday, June 3, 2016 in Holiday Lakes.
A sign outside the Hitching Post warns of high water to come Friday, June 3, 2016 in Holiday Lakes.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A horse stands in flood waters near FM 1462 Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
A horse stands in flood waters near FM 1462 Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A man boats out to FM 1462 from a flooded home Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
A man boats out to FM 1462 from a flooded home Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Buddy Williams looks at a neighbors flooded farm from FM 1462 Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
Buddy Williams looks at a neighbors flooded farm from FM 1462 Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Two fawn deer walk through flood water off FM 1462 to try to escape the rising Brazos River Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
Two fawn deer walk through flood water off FM 1462 to try to escape the rising Brazos River Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
People line up alongside FM 1462 as they help with evacuations Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
People line up alongside FM 1462 as they help with evacuations Friday, June 3, 2016 in Rosharon.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Kyle Mock walks in the rain downtown, Thursday, June 2, in Houston.
Kyle Mock walks in the rain downtown, Thursday, June 2, in Houston.
Photo: Jon Shapley / Houston Chronicle
Cattle are driven west, away from the surging Brazos River, down FM 1462 in Brazoria County, Thursday, June 2, 2016. A mandatory evacuation was declared in the area east of the river in the area near Brazos Bend State Park Thursday afternoon.
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Cattle are driven west, away from the surging Brazos River, down FM 1462 in Brazoria County, Thursday, June 2, 2016. A mandatory evacuation was declared in the area east of the river in the area near Brazos
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Photo: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle
Cattle are driven west, away from the surging Brazos River, down FM 1462 in Brazoria County, Thursday, June 2, 2016. A mandatory evacuation was declared in the area east of the river in the area near Brazos Bend State Park Thursday afternoon.
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Cattle are driven west, away from the surging Brazos River, down FM 1462 in Brazoria County, Thursday, June 2, 2016. A mandatory evacuation was declared in the area east of the river in the area near Brazos
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Photo: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle
Avenue A is completely submerged in Rosenberg along the Brazos River, Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Avenue A is completely submerged in Rosenberg along the Brazos River, Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Photo: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle
Mitchell Melnar fishes for catfish on the west side of the flooded Brazos River near Wallis, Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Mitchell Melnar fishes for catfish on the west side of the flooded Brazos River near Wallis, Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Photo: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle
Neighbors watch the overflowing Brazos River flow past a neighborhood in Rosenberg, Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Neighbors watch the overflowing Brazos River flow past a neighborhood in Rosenberg, Thursday, June 2, 2016.
Photo: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle
Gayles Forward-Perkins struggles Thursday to move a container filled with waterlogged belongings in her Kingwood garage. Residents could do nothing but watch as the San Jacinto River rose.
Gayles Forward-Perkins struggles Thursday to move a container filled with waterlogged belongings in her Kingwood garage. Residents could do nothing but watch as the San Jacinto River rose.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Staff
Chance Morgan canoes past flooded townhouses on the way to his Kingwood home on Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle)
Chance Morgan canoes past flooded townhouses on the way to his Kingwood home on Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle)
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Staff
A lone armadillo moves across a flooded roadway in Booth, Texas on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Rising waters forced residents to evacuate their homes and buildings.
A lone armadillo moves across a flooded roadway in Booth, Texas on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Rising waters forced residents to evacuate their homes and buildings.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle
A group of people on board a truck travel through flood waters in Booth, Texas on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Flood waters forced residents to evacuate their homes and buildings.
A group of people on board a truck travel through flood waters in Booth, Texas on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Flood waters forced residents to evacuate their homes and buildings.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle
A pickup truck travels through a flooded roadway in Booth, Texas on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Flood waters forced residents to evacuate their homes and buildings.
A pickup truck travels through a flooded roadway in Booth, Texas on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Flood waters forced residents to evacuate their homes and buildings.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle
A woman and a girl travel through the flooded town of Booth, Texas on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Residents and local wildlife could be seen attempting to flee the rising flood waters.
A woman and a girl travel through the flooded town of Booth, Texas on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Residents and local wildlife could be seen attempting to flee the rising flood waters.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle
Deer walk through a misty field next to the Brazos River at sunrise Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in Richmond.
Deer walk through a misty field next to the Brazos River at sunrise Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in Richmond.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A man reacts as workers tow mobile homes out of a flooded lot to save them from damage Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in Richmond.
A man reacts as workers tow mobile homes out of a flooded lot to save them from damage Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in Richmond.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A man rides his bike down a flooded street in the Rio Vista neighborhood Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in Richmond.
A man rides his bike down a flooded street in the Rio Vista neighborhood Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in Richmond.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Anthony Perry kayaks down Escambia Way Drive outside his house in the flooded Rio Vista neighborhood Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in Richmond.
Anthony Perry kayaks down Escambia Way Drive outside his house in the flooded Rio Vista neighborhood Tuesday, May 31, 2016 in Richmond.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Firefighters wade down Greenwood Drive in Richmond, Tuesday, May 31, 2016, as flood waters continue to rise. Torrential rains caused widespread flooding around the Houston area on during Memorial Day weekend.
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Firefighters wade down Greenwood Drive in Richmond, Tuesday, May 31, 2016, as flood waters continue to rise. Torrential rains caused widespread flooding around the Houston area on during Memorial Day
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Photo: Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle
Candace Seger carries a cat crate after officials rescued her 17 cats, dog and husband as the Brazos River flooded into their home on Monday, May 30, 2016, in Simonton.
Candace Seger carries a cat crate after officials rescued her 17 cats, dog and husband as the Brazos River flooded into their home on Monday, May 30, 2016, in Simonton.
Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle
A wet cat owned by Candace and John Seger sits in its crate after being rescued from its home as the Brazos River overflowed on Monday, May 30, 2016, in Simonton.
A wet cat owned by Candace and John Seger sits in its crate after being rescued from its home as the Brazos River overflowed on Monday, May 30, 2016, in Simonton.
Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle
John Seger and his brother-in-law Roger Merrill carry Segar's dog after being rescued from his home as the Brazos River overflowed into his home on Monday, May 30, 2016, in Simonton.
John Seger and his brother-in-law Roger Merrill carry Segar's dog after being rescued from his home as the Brazos River overflowed into his home on Monday, May 30, 2016, in Simonton.
Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle
Georgette Barrera walks out of her home in the Fisherman's Paradise Trailer Park at Ave A and Riveredge Drive, Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond, after mandatory evacuations were issued for residents of that trailer park, as well as Reyes trailer park, next door.
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Georgette Barrera walks out of her home in the Fisherman's Paradise Trailer Park at Ave A and Riveredge Drive, Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond, after mandatory evacuations were issued for residents of that
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Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
Brazos River overs near the town of Simonton on Monday, May 30, 2016.
Brazos River overs near the town of Simonton on Monday, May 30, 2016.
Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle
A herd of deer makes its way to higher ground as the Brazos River overflows the town of Simonton on Monday, May 30, 2016.
A herd of deer makes its way to higher ground as the Brazos River overflows the town of Simonton on Monday, May 30, 2016.
Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle
A cow takes in some extra food as the Brazos River overflows on Monday, May 30, 2016, in Simonton.
A cow takes in some extra food as the Brazos River overflows on Monday, May 30, 2016, in Simonton.
Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle
Family members of 80-year-old Jesus Cardenas help him pack up his belongings from the Reyes Trailer Park at Ave A and Riveredge Drive, Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond, after mandatory evacuations were issued for residents of that trailer park, as well as Fisherman's Paradise trailer park, next door.
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Family members of 80-year-old Jesus Cardenas help him pack up his belongings from the Reyes Trailer Park at Ave A and Riveredge Drive, Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond, after mandatory evacuations were issued
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Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
Men in a four-wheeler drive through 21-inch deep flood water at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Men in a four-wheeler drive through 21-inch deep flood water at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
People watch the flood rise as a four-wheeler enters the water at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
People watch the flood rise as a four-wheeler enters the water at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
Jim Klentzman maneuvers his boat through 21-inch deep floodwaters near his home at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Jim Klentzman maneuvers his boat through 21-inch deep floodwaters near his home at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
Twenty-one inches of flood water fills the street at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Twenty-one inches of flood water fills the street at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
Charles Brothers looks at the flood waters with his pet Yellow-crowned Amazon "Buddy" at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Charles Brothers looks at the flood waters with his pet Yellow-crowned Amazon "Buddy" at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
A truck drives through the riding flood waters at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
A truck drives through the riding flood waters at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
Anice Divin, 71, walks just feet from her front porch at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond. Divin has lived in the area for 49 years and never seen water up to her home before this weekend.
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Anice Divin, 71, walks just feet from her front porch at Greenwood and Strange Drive Monday, May 30, 2016, in Richmond. Divin has lived in the area for 49 years and never seen water up to her home before this
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Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
Jesus Lozano, Jr., checks on his pigs as rising flood waters from the Brazos River creep closer to his house, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Richmond.
Jesus Lozano, Jr., checks on his pigs as rising flood waters from the Brazos River creep closer to his house, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Richmond.
Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Irene Martinez, who lives near the Brazos River, leaves her flooded home, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Richmond. She lives there with her two sons, and they are evacuating because the river is forecast to rise another several feet.
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Irene Martinez, who lives near the Brazos River, leaves her flooded home, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Richmond. She lives there with her two sons, and they are evacuating because the river is forecast to rise
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Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Sixth Street is impassible due to rising flood waters from the Brazos River Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Rosenberg.
Sixth Street is impassible due to rising flood waters from the Brazos River Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Rosenberg.
Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Alex Fedorow, with Country Inn and Suites Hotel, kayaks around the property off the frontage road of I-59 North, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Humble. The hotel was surrounded by floodwaters, and several guests were evacuated from the hotel.
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Alex Fedorow, with Country Inn and Suites Hotel, kayaks around the property off the frontage road of I-59 North, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Humble. The hotel was surrounded by floodwaters, and several guests
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Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
A stop sign at Fieldtree Drive and Glencreek is under water as floodwaters rose in the Northshire neighborhood, behind Deerbrook Mall, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Humble.
A stop sign at Fieldtree Drive and Glencreek is under water as floodwaters rose in the Northshire neighborhood, behind Deerbrook Mall, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Humble.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
A family sits with their pet, as their house took on flood waters in the Northshire neighborhood, behind Deerbrook Mall, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Humble.
A family sits with their pet, as their house took on flood waters in the Northshire neighborhood, behind Deerbrook Mall, Sunday, May 29, 2016, in Humble.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle
Hazel Smith walks through her flooded home Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Tomball. The home, which sits at least two feet off the ground, had at least two feet of water in it the night before. "A bed only holds so much," she said.
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Hazel Smith walks through her flooded home Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Tomball. The home, which sits at least two feet off the ground, had at least two feet of water in it the night before. "A bed only holds so
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Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
A flooded home is seen at the corner of Rock Elm Lane and Kingbird Drive, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Tomball.
A flooded home is seen at the corner of Rock Elm Lane and Kingbird Drive, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Tomball.
Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
People wade across a flooded section of Rayford Road east of I-45 on Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring.
People wade across a flooded section of Rayford Road east of I-45 on Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle
David Rhodes and his brother Derek look at rising flood waters from Spring Creek, along Riley Fuzzel Road, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring. The pair, both musicians, came from San Antonio to visit their uncle.
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David Rhodes and his brother Derek look at rising flood waters from Spring Creek, along Riley Fuzzel Road, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring. The pair, both musicians, came from San Antonio to visit their
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Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Ton Dotson drips with sweat as he moves furniture out of his house in the Northwood Pines subdivision, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring. The water level in nearby Spring Creek is rising, and is expected to crest between 10 p.m. and midnight tonight.
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Ton Dotson drips with sweat as he moves furniture out of his house in the Northwood Pines subdivision, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring. The water level in nearby Spring Creek is rising, and is expected to
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Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Leo Hernandez talks about the water level in Spring Creek, in the Northwood Pines subdivision, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring. The water level in the creek is rising, and it is expected to crest between 10 p.m. and midnight tonight. Hernandez has lived in the neighborhood since 2003, and he said he has never seen anything like this.
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Leo Hernandez talks about the water level in Spring Creek, in the Northwood Pines subdivision, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring. The water level in the creek is rising, and it is expected to crest between 10
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Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Tim Bowlin checks the water level in Spring Creek, in the Northwood Pines subdivision, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring. The water level in the creek is rising, and it is expected to crest between 10 p.m. and midnight tonight. "I've been here 15 years, and I've never seen anything like this," he said.
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Tim Bowlin checks the water level in Spring Creek, in the Northwood Pines subdivision, Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Spring. The water level in the creek is rising, and it is expected to crest between 10 p.m. and
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Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Lightning flashes over the Houston skyline, Friday, May 27, 2016, in Spring.
Lightning flashes over the Houston skyline, Friday, May 27, 2016, in Spring.
Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Water rises from a manhole cover on White Oak drive near Houston avenue Wednesday, May 25, 2016, in Houston.
Water rises from a manhole cover on White Oak drive near Houston avenue Wednesday, May 25, 2016, in Houston.
Photo: James Nielsen, Houston Chronicle
Heavy rain falls as a person crosses Wild Indigo Street, Friday, May 27, 2016, in Spring.
Heavy rain falls as a person crosses Wild Indigo Street, Friday, May 27, 2016, in Spring.
Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle
Cattle are herded along US 290 out of a flooded pasture on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Chappell Hill.
Cattle are herded along US 290 out of a flooded pasture on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Chappell Hill.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle
Cattle are herded up US 290 out of a flooded pasture on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Chappell Hill.
Cattle are herded up US 290 out of a flooded pasture on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Chappell Hill.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle
Cattle are herded up US 290 out of a flooded pasture on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Chappell Hill.
Cattle are herded up US 290 out of a flooded pasture on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Chappell Hill.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle
A man checks to make sure everyone made it safely out of a truck that flooded when the three men in the background drove around a closed road barrier on Nichols Sawmill Road and lost control of the vehicle in the water Friday, May 27, 2016 in Magnolia.
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A man checks to make sure everyone made it safely out of a truck that flooded when the three men in the background drove around a closed road barrier on Nichols Sawmill Road and lost control of the vehicle in
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Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Conroe firefighters evacuate Jim Treadway via boat after Treadway was stranded when Pecan Bend Road was washed out near the San Jacinto River on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Conroe.
Conroe firefighters evacuate Jim Treadway via boat after Treadway was stranded when Pecan Bend Road was washed out near the San Jacinto River on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Conroe.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle
Roland Courville steers a boat across Mill Creek Road as he helps people escape from a Magnolia neighborhood cut off by a flooded Spring Creek Friday, May 27, 2016.
Roland Courville steers a boat across Mill Creek Road as he helps people escape from a Magnolia neighborhood cut off by a flooded Spring Creek Friday, May 27, 2016.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Cody Munlin drives his jeep across Mill Creek Road in an attempt to get to a Magnolia neighborhood cut off by a flooded Spring Creek Friday, May 27, 2016.
Cody Munlin drives his jeep across Mill Creek Road in an attempt to get to a Magnolia neighborhood cut off by a flooded Spring Creek Friday, May 27, 2016.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Conroe Fire Department J. Riddle stands next to a washed out section of Pecan Bend Road was washed out near the San Jacinto River on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Conroe.
Conroe Fire Department J. Riddle stands next to a washed out section of Pecan Bend Road was washed out near the San Jacinto River on Friday, May 27, 2016, in Conroe.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle
A family looks at a flooded Spring Creek on North Ravenswood Drive in a Magnolia neighborhood Friday, May 27, 2016.
A family looks at a flooded Spring Creek on North Ravenswood Drive in a Magnolia neighborhood Friday, May 27, 2016.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A car and home sit in flood water from Spring Creek on North Ravenswood Drive in a Magnolia neighborhood Friday, May 27, 2016.
A car and home sit in flood water from Spring Creek on North Ravenswood Drive in a Magnolia neighborhood Friday, May 27, 2016.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Dan Neef helps paddle Eve Pena, left, and her mother, Margaret Medina, to rescue their dog and gather belongings from their home in a neighborhood cut off by flood waters Friday, May 27, 2016 in Magnolia.
Dan Neef helps paddle Eve Pena, left, and her mother, Margaret Medina, to rescue their dog and gather belongings from their home in a neighborhood cut off by flood waters Friday, May 27, 2016 in Magnolia.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
Lisa Watkins wades into a flooded Spring Creek on North Ravenswood Drive as she attempts to check on her trailer home in a Magnolia neighborhood Friday, May 27, 2016.
Lisa Watkins wades into a flooded Spring Creek on North Ravenswood Drive as she attempts to check on her trailer home in a Magnolia neighborhood Friday, May 27, 2016.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
A suspected tornado damaged a number of homes in the Wheeler Ridge neighborhood in Bryan Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2016.
A suspected tornado damaged a number of homes in the Wheeler Ridge neighborhood in Bryan Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2016.
Photo: Brent Zwerneman / Houston Chronicl
A suspected tornado damaged a number of homes in the Wheeler Ridge neighborhood in Bryan Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2016.
A suspected tornado damaged a number of homes in the Wheeler Ridge neighborhood in Bryan Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2016.
Photo: Brent Zwerneman / Houston Chronicl
A suspected tornado damaged a number of homes in the Wheeler Ridge neighborhood in Bryan Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2016.
A suspected tornado damaged a number of homes in the Wheeler Ridge neighborhood in Bryan Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2016.
Photo: Brent Zwerneman / Houston Chronicl
Produce Row, December 1935.
Produce Row, December 1935.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
Looking north on Louisiana toward Texas Avenue, December 1935.
Looking north on Louisiana toward Texas Avenue, December 1935.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
View down Congress toward the Southern Pacific Station, later site of downtown post office. December 1935.
View down Congress toward the Southern Pacific Station, later site of downtown post office. December 1935.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
Milam Street, looking east. December 1935.
Milam Street, looking east. December 1935.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
Buffalo Bayou, December 1935.
Buffalo Bayou, December 1935.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
Milam at Congress, looking north. December 1935.
Milam at Congress, looking north. December 1935.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
Louisiana between Rusk and Texas, looking northwest. Site of Jones Plaza today. December 1935.
Louisiana between Rusk and Texas, looking northwest. Site of Jones Plaza today. December 1935.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
View toward the San Jacinto Street Bridge, looking east.
View toward the San Jacinto Street Bridge, looking east.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
Texas Avenue, looking west from Milam. Old City Auditorium is on the left. December 1935.
Texas Avenue, looking west from Milam. Old City Auditorium is on the left. December 1935.
Photo: J.R. Gonzales
The trouble with living in a swamp: Houston floods explained
Things get bad when Houston floods. Water swamps homes, takes lives and shuts down the city. But it should be so much worse. There shouldn't even be a city here.
But there is, and most Houstonians casually accept the enormous drainage system—the bayous, creeks and gullies—that keep it precariously dry in a former wetland.
Early settlers drained marshes to build Houston town in a muddy bog. Fast forward less than 200 years and the city stands above water, mostly, thanks mostly to 2,500 miles of managed waterways—the flying distance from Houston to Quito, Ecuador—that whisk the floods out to sea.
More than 2,500 miles of managed waterways help drain Harris County each time it rains. Without them there would be no city.
More than 2,500 miles of managed waterways help drain Harris County...
"If those channels didn't exist, this area would be flooding from every rain, not just the big ones," said Mike Talbott, executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District. "A very large percentage of the systems have not been made larger to meet current criteria."
Therein lies the problem. Tremendous rains this year and last pushed the limits, forcing gullies and bayous over their banks into neighborhoods that brim them. The only solution is to widen the waterways, which means buying up adjacent buildings and tearing them down. Talbott puts the price tag on a total upgrade at $26 billion, which will not happen soon.
The weather is outpacing Harris County's effort to tame, and according to scientists it's not going to stop. Citing his own research, state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said extreme rainfall events have increased in Texas over the past century, with a particularly large increase in Houston.
RELATED: State climatologist: Houston rains are getting worse
When the rains hit, they often hit harder than they used to. And the trend isn't expected to abate.
Nature is ignoring the occupation that Talbott is tasked with preserving. It's an old game for Houston. The city's past was built on drainage and its future will be too. It's just hard to imagine how.
City in the mud
Photo: Ed Stewart Photography
A paddlewheel boat being loaded with cotton at Allen's Landing, present-day downtown Houston, in 1868. Early European settlers to the region found a swampy wilderness that had to be drained before it could be developed.
A paddlewheel boat being loaded with cotton at Allen's Landing,...
Inundation is nothing new here. Right from the start, it took tremendous effort and loss of life to claim the Houston area from the prevailing floods.
O.F. Allen, an early settler and nephew of a Houston founder, wrote of his experience in the infant city:
"Once could hardly picture the jungle and swampy woods that a good portion of the city is built upon. These swampy grounds had to be cleared and drained. The writer himself quite clearly remembers that the southwestern portion of the city was a green scum lake, studded with giant sweet gum trees, and water from one to two and a half feet deep... The labor of clearing the great space was done by negro slaves and Mexicans, as no white man could have worked and endured the insect bites and malaria, snake bites, impure water, and other hardships. Many of the blacks died before their work was done."
That was just the beginning, and the labor by no means left the city dry. When famed naturalist John Audubon visited in 1837, he marveled that he approached President Sam Houston's cabin "wading in water above our ankles."
Where there wasn't water there was mud—mud that early settlers joked you could lose a horse in, that swallowed any attempt to build a road and bred clouds of disease-bearing mosquitoes. It was so bad that lawmakers primarily cited the mud in their decision to move the capital to Austin.
But occasionally Houston went from saturated to inundated. William Taylor, born in Houston in 1863, wrote of driving a ferry "from the foot of Main Street to Fifth Ward during the worst of the flood" of 1879, which lasted several days.
Floods were so common they merit only casual mentions in Houston's early history. Like how the Houston Electric Company built a dam and artificial lake on Little White Oak Bayou in 1904, but rains later that year washed it away.
If the region would ever host a metropolis, the floods would clearly have to be tamed.
An endless quest to tame the inundations
In Houston, the notion of large-scale publicly funded drainage infrastructure emerged in a 1908 plan by engineer George Horton. Citizens successfully petitioned the county to fund the plan and "render habitable" a small portion of southwest Harris County.
"I have seen several hundred acres underwater for days after large rains," Horton wrote (see page 25 below). "A complete system of drainage will do away with such cases as this... It will be the making of this section of the country."
Crews widened bayous, straightened their paths, eased their curves and ripped away logs that resisted their flow. Where there was a lack of natural waterways, they dug 44 miles of new channels.
In the decades since, similar endeavors appeared across the county, but they weren't nearly enough.
The worst rain the city remembered fell in 1929, and a worse one struck in 1935. Buffalo Bayou rose up to the second story in parts of downtown. Buildings collapsed. Swaths of city were destroyed.
Looking east over downtown, December 1935. White building at foreground is the criminal courthouse, where the back of Bayou Place is today. Structure at right-center is the farmer's market, where Wortham Center is today.
Looking east over downtown, December 1935. White building at...
PHOTOS: The Houston flood of '35
So in 1937 a coalition of local authorities petitioned the state to commission a flood authority that could work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to orchestrate large-scale upgrades in Houston, and the Harris County Flood Control District was born of dire need.
Through the '40s and '50s, the USACE and HCFCD modernized Houston drainage. They drastically widened Brays and Buffalo bayous and concrete-lined some waterways. They built the Addicks and Barker reservoirs to catch rains that fell on the Katy Prairie and keep them from downtown.
Brays Bayou Federal Flood Control Project under construction in 1957. Image via Harris County Flood Control District
Brays Bayou Federal Flood Control Project under construction in...
In the '60s and '70s other dramatic upgrades were made.
As the city expanded, canals were built to drain new neighborhoods, and homes soon lined the banks of every gully, creek and stream. Much of the system was locked in without room to grow, though it was already massively expansive.
"It was unbridled urban sprawl without a whole lot of attention to what they should have been doing for correct urban drainage. There were a lot of mistakes made in those years," said Phil Bedient, a veteran professor of civil engineering and urban flood control at Rice University. "Now we find ourselves in a situation where we inherited this problem."
Evolving standards, static system
Houston got stuck with a huge but outdated system. Mid-century engineers didn't anticipate two important things: how bad the rains could get and how much urbanization would exacerbate the floods.
Later in the 20th century, understanding evolved with science. Federal floodplain mapping in the 1970s provided the first insight to where the water actually pools during torrential downpours.
Then computer models in the 1980s began to describe just how big those torrential downpours could get. That's when Talbott got involved. He got an engineering degree from Texas A&M University, an MBA from the University of Houston then joined the district in 1982 and never left.
Harris County flood control, he said, is his "one and only career."
He had an early hand in computer models of the flood threat at a time when scientists were awakening to a notion: weather runs in massive cycles, and every so often a monster storm hits.
The old system was built to drain the city's common floods, not to save it from the once-in-century deluge that could fall in any year.
"A lot of engineering was done before people understood the risks," Talbott said.
From the start, Talbott realized the enormous amount of work that remained to prepare for the big one. That, he said, is why he stayed around so long.
During his 35 years with the district he's labored on the colossal effort that may save the city when the great flood comes. They've widened some bayous, built dozens of new reservoirs and enacted policies requiring new subdivisions to build their own.
Sims Bayou Federal Project under construction, 1998. Image via Harris County Flood Control District
Sims Bayou Federal Project under construction, 1998. Image via...
It amounts to solid progress. But today, Talbott said, the challenges facing the district seem as steep as ever.
No room to grow
Urban saturation put tremendous unanticipated strain on the drainage system. Where water used to sift slowly through thick grass and gullies, it tumbled off rooftops, into gutters, onto driveways then down the street to the waterway, which can receive the full fury of the storm condensed in its banks within an hour of the storm.
The surge comes too quickly for the waterways to handle, and they overflow, even during rains of a magnitude they were built to handle. The only solution is to build them bigger, but it can't easily be done.
Beneath a bridge on Mangum Road in northwest Houston, Talbott pointed out an approximately 100-foot wide concrete-lined Brick House Gully that drains about 10 square miles of cityscape into White Oak Bayou. It's no wider than it was in 1950, and it won't be expanded any time soon, even in spite of floods.
Back yards of homes and apartment complexes abut right up against the concrete lining of the waterway.
"They're pretty much all like that," Talbott said. "There's always a last row of lots that shouldn't have been built.
"I wish someone would have told us that 100 years ago," he said.
Intensifying rainfall
Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff
People evacuate from Arbor Court Apartments in the Greenspoint area during April's storms. Many residents are now living in motels.
People evacuate from Arbor Court Apartments in the Greenspoint area...
The system is already stressed, it can't easily grow, and it gets worse: the rains are getting harder.
"We've confirmed that there's an overall increase in extreme rainfall in Texas over the past century," said state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon, citing his own unpublished research. "Specifically for Houston the increase has been particularly large."
Counties surrounding Houston don't exhibit the same trend, Nielsen-Gammon said, but the phenomenon has long been predicted by climate models and has been observed in the nation as a whole.
An independent review of more than 100 years' of Houston rainfall records showed the same—that the heaviest rains are skewed towards recent decades.
RELATED: 2015 becomes Texas' wettest year on record
Jeff Lindner, chief meteorologist for the HCFCD, pointed out three statistical anomalies in local rainfall: Tropical Storm Claudette in 1979, Allison in 2001 and the Tax Day flood in 2016.
"These would all be considered once-in-a-lifetime, off-the-charts rainfall and we've had it thrice in 37 years," he said.
In a region straddling Harris and Waller counties, the Tax Day storms approached a scale of rainfall that Lindner said the region should expect once in a thousand years.
"We're starting to get into a lot of estimation in those numbers, but clearly anything in that region would exceed the targets of our [flood drainage system] design," he said.
Brays Bayou, which has been widened in recent decades, surged over its banks in several spots, spilling feet of water into adjacent neighborhoods.
"In modern times, as long as we've been keeping rainfall records, we never had close to this amount of rain out there [in Brays Bayou]," Lindner said.
There is no single cause for the increase in torrential downpours, but long before the trend was observed, scientists theorized it would accompany a warming climate because warm air holds more water that plummets to Earth when pressure systems yield a storm. Houston seems poised for a dry spell ahead (barring tropical storms), but the long term shift towards intensified rains is expected to continue.
So what can Houston do to contain them?
Solutions
One thing is for sure: Houston's prosperous future depends largely on its ability to keep the floods at bay, especially the great one that could fall in any year.
The drainage system does an excellent job by relegating floods to a small portion of a region that would otherwise be entirely underwater. But modern expectations call for total mitigation of the threat.
RELATED: Talbott: Floods remind us of the work ahead
Talbott has a simple solution: allocate $26 billion, more than a fifth of the state's 2015 budget, mostly to buy property adjacent to the waterways, bulldoze and expand the canals. That amount of money, he said, could get all of Houston prepared to weather a city-wide, once-in-a-century storm.
"I'm surprised we haven't dug new bayous," said Ron Sass, a veteran climate researcher at Rice University. "You know, tear down some houses. We build freeways. I would think that a bayou would be as important to our infrastructure as a freeway."
Chris Bell, a former Houston city councilman, mayoral candidate and congressman, led the effort to win $53 million in federal appropriations for local flood control in 2004 in the wake of Tropical Storm Allison. The Memorial Day and Tax Day floods left several feet of water in his Meyerland home, and he said neighbors have been wondering aloud whether a buyback program is in order.
But he said the city would not be raising $26 billion any time soon.
Carroll Robinson, a former Houston city councilman and current professor of public policy at Texas Southern University, said the city couldn't afford to delay needed projects until the funds come in.
"The city should literally issue debt so it can bring forward flood control projects," he said, noting that debt is issued to fund parks and sewers. "On a pay-as-you-go basis you just can't build and maintain projects fast enough."
He also suggested forming a regional flood control district with surrounding counties or requiring new homes in flood-prone places to build like beach houses on stilts.
But Houston is already stuck with tremendous debt, such that Moody's Investors Service downgraded its bond rating in March. Issuing more debt would be a very tough sell.
Talbott said that no substantial chunk of the billions of dollars to retrofit Houston would come from the federal government.
"It just wouldn't fit in their model of benefits and costs," he said.
A few years ago the city levied a flood drainage fee, which could bring in several billion dollars in the coming decades. Bell pointed out that a $500 million revamp of Brays Bayou has kept the Medical Center above water ever since it flooded in 2001. That, he said, was a sign of hope.
"We've seen amazing engineering solutions throughout history," he said. "We have a lot of bright minds in Houston. I do think that there are engineering solutions to this problem."
It will probably just be extremely expensive.