Brazos River expected to breach its banks and cause street flooding, officials
Fort Bend County officials are closely monitoring the Brazos River as it is expected to breach its banks.
"This is a river event, there will be a little bit of flooding in some ditches and streets. Right now we don't know of any structures or anything along those lines and it might not get that way," said Mark Flathouse, the newly appointed Emergency Management Coordinator for Fort Bend County.
He says heavy rains up north have now pushed the Brazos River to flood stage.
It is expected to crest at 45-feet, starting in the small rural community of Simonton Monday night into Tuesday morning. It will then move down through Rosenberg, Richmond and Sugar Land before finally cresting in Rosharon by Friday.
The crest level is expected to be 10-feet lower than Hurricane Harvey and Memorial Day 2016 flood levels.
On Monday, Flathouse's team used a drone above the river in Simonton to get a look at how the water is rising.
"The river has changed since Harvey and things," he said. "So we're trying to stay on top of it. We have checked the infrastructures. We have checked the rivers and bridges."
For families who live along the Brazos, they know to watch the rain totals upstream.
"We start watching the river probably a week in advance," said George James, who has called Simonton home for seven years. "A lot of people are gun-shy because of the last floods."
James moved out here for the peace and quiet and says watching the rain totals is just part of their rural routine.
Fort Bend emergency officials are warning drivers to be careful of any street flooding that could occur and to stay away from the river as it is moving swiftly.
