Why do some areas regularly flood across the city of Houston?

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A heavy downpour this week caused street flooding across the city and even blocked roads on Navigation Street east of downtown, where cars could be seen submerged underwater.

"It's a huge inconvenience and it's a safety issue, but yeah, it definitely flooded and that's the second time in two weeks that it's flooded," Houston resident Hillary Green said.

Green, and others like her, say it's an issue she believes needs to be dealt with.

"I've lived in Houston now for 15 years, and flooding is a problem," Green said. "So the city needs to do something to fix the flooding issue because it is dangerous, it's a hazard."

"It should've been fixed a long time ago, a long time ago. With me being a little girl, we had to deal with flooding," Cheryl Henderson, with the Northeast Action Collective, said.

Henderson and the Northeast Action Collective have been advocating for change when it comes to the city's drainage infrastructure to avoiding street flooding like what was seen Wednesday.

"The ditches cleaned where nothing is blocking the water to drain out, and getting the drainage infrastructure completed and worked on so it can drain the right way," Henderson said.

ABC13 reached out to council member Mario Castillo. His office says a yearslong project is in the works to help reduce Houston's flood risk.

Castillo sent the following statement to ABC13: "Addressing flooding is a top priority for me. I'm continuing to work closely with all stakeholders - including the TIRZ, Management Districts, and Houston Public Works - on long-term flood mitigation and resiliency projects in the East End and throughout District H. The North Canal Project, currently in design, remains a vital flood mitigation project that will improve drainage and overall resiliency along Buffalo Bayou east of downtown. While we advance these infrastructure improvements, I urge residents to stay alert during severe weather events so they can receive critical updates and stay safe. This work is ongoing, and I remain committed to strengthening the partnerships and systems that protect our communities."

We asked the City of Houston about this week's street flooding as well. They sent a statement explaining that roadways are part of the city's drainage system, "designed to convey and move water to prevent structure flooding."

The city added that the isolated excessive rainfall band on Wednesday caused the temporary street flooding, at one point dropping more than an inch of rain in just 15 minutes at Buffalo Bayou and Milam. The two-hour total for that location was more than 3 inches.

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