ROSENBERG, Texas — The seemingly ceaseless rain has ended in North Texas and Oklahoma, but residents in the greater Houston area warily eyed the swollen Brazos River and the skies, which threatened to drop up to an additional 5 inches of rain late Saturday.
At least 31 people have been killed in storms that began in Texas and Oklahoma over Memorial Day weekend. Twenty-seven of the deaths have been in Texas alone, and 11 people were still missing Saturday.
The Brazos River southwest of Houston was the main area of concern Saturday as floodwaters moved from north and central Texas downstream toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Floyd Preston’s home in the Houston suburb of Rosenberg is about 100 yards from the flooded river and three houses from a police barricade marking the evacuation zone.
“I’m going to stay for the time being. This is not the first time for a flood. One way or another, when your time comes, it could be on dry land or water,” the 66-year-old said as he was trimming his lawn, adding that the closest floodwaters had gotten in the past was about 50 yards away.
A creek that empties into the Brazos River — which is expected to rise until Monday morning and crest at 50 feet — went up 4 feet between the time Ricky McCullough, 47, and a friend measured it Friday night and Saturday morning. An alligator poked its snout above water as he talked, followed by a black water moccasin slithering along the muddied water.
“I’m concerned about it enough, but I’m a lot more concerned because we have a lot of older people living down here,” he said.
He’s also worried about the forecast of heavy rains — about 1 to 2 inches projected for the greater Houston area, according to the National Weather Service. Lead forecaster Scott Overpeck in the Houston office said the storms are expected to be slow-moving, and if stalled, portions of the area could receive between 4 to 5 inches in a few hours. Earlier in the week, the Colorado River in Wharton and the San Jacinto River near Houston threatened homes, but the Weather Service said both are expected to recede below flood stage by Sunday.
