Flooded Brazos River expected to rise again before cresting

RICHMOND (KTRK) -- Nel Reyes has been through a few floods in his 80-plus years living on the Brazos River in Richmond. On this Memorial Day, the Korean War vet and his wife Mary watched the river rise.

"My husband knows when to get out in time. If not, too bad for him...if he doesn't get me out in time," Mary Reyes joked.

Just down the road, Brandon Reyes tells Eyewitness News this is the fourth time this year that the Brazos and his family's back yard have become one.

"We should be good unless it starts getting toward the front," he said.

He and his mother showed us their evacuation plan. A ladder on the side of the house.

"Our escape route. Plan B. If worse comes to worse, we'll climb on top of the roof," he said.

Roads are closed at various spots that sit on the river. People have come from all over to see this historic river level. In Clay Park, the river is all the way out of its banks and has swallowed up the basketball court. A tree fell onto the court while we were there. People in the neighborhood around the park are waiting it out.

"The fire department came over here and said hey if y'all want to move out to the church or any friends' house. We were like nah the water's not that high. We're good," said Israel Hernandez.

In the dark of the night, the hope here is that the river doesn't bring any major surprises.

"We're strong believers that God's got us in His hands and that's really where we stand. The rock we stand on is him and we know when to get out," said Mary Reyes.

The river is expected to crest above 53 feet Tuesday.