North Shore community waits as the San Jacinto River rises
NORTH SHORE, TX (KTRK) -- Sitting in the captain's chair of his pontoon boat, Mike Gillinger surveyed the rising San Jacinto river and remarked, "It's time to go fishing."
Here along the banks of the river, residents know this minor flooding is part of the bargain of living on the water.
Gillinger took abc13 for a tour of the river at dusk Thursday. National Weather Service gauges showed it a foot above flood stage, 7 feet higher than a day before and still rising.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for neighborhoods along the San Jacinto River, including Gillinger's on the North Shore. The area is already saturated and the river is expected to rise above flood stage and remain high into the weekend.
From his boat, Gillinger could see the river was moving faster, wider and scattered with debris. The good news: it was not flowing into many homes, still residents were moving important property to higher ground.
San Jacinto River resident, Rocky Derrico said, "It's the same stuff, move stuff out, move it back in. Take the house apart put it back together."
With the water on a rise, the first priority is getting his vehicles to drier ground. That includes Derrico's brother-in-law's stretch limo.
"He'll take kids places for birthdays, family members to parties," said Derrico.
Homeowners have taken off work and kids are missing school to help out.
Teen Landon Harmon says, "It all just depends on how fast it comes up but it came up fast today. Most of the time we take our time but now it's like oh we have to start rushing into things."
His neighbor Brady Kimbro was moving cars and lawnmowers out from under his stilted home, but taking the flooding in stride.
"It's going to happen. When it rains this much, in this short period of time, there's nowhere for the water to go," Kimbro says.
Like most on his street he was planning to spend the night in his home and had no plans to leave now or ever. FEMA has offered some on this street buyouts. Most turned them down.
The North Shore area was really hard hit last Memorial Day during the big flood. Recovery took time and while the water level isn't expected to be anywhere close to that a break from Mother Nature would be a sigh of relief.
"Keep our fingers crossed it crests and we can get back in," says Derrico.
