Swollen rivers could rise 8 feet with next round of possible rain in Fort Bend County

Sunday, May 12, 2019
Swollen Brazos River could rise in Fort Bend
Swollen Brazos River could rise several more feet in Fort Bend if rain falls as predicted.

To get a first-hand look after the storm, ABC13's reporter Marla Carter rode along with Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Constable Wayne Thompson.

"Unfortunately, the folks in Simonton are kind of used to this," said Constable Thompson.

Simonton sits along the Brazos River, where crews are monitoring water levels. It's also where the Brazos River has widened over time.

"The river just keeps chipping away on the land and now onto peoples' homes," said Thompson.

Over time, the river has eroded a road, and Thursday night's rain alone took out several more feet of the road.

Near that road is a house that is also seeing erosion underneath it.

"The house is gradually falling into the river. This isn't new to this event. It started during Harvey time," said Thompson.

Nearby, officials have pumps set up to release the water if it gets too high.

They also got an aerial view of the river from a drone.

"When you're able to see it from that angle, it gives you little bit of a better perspective of what's going on," said Thompson.

Another area of concern for Fort Bend is the San Bernard River.

"The current forecast shows an additional eight feet of rising within the next 24 hours. The rivers rise about one foot every two hours, specifically down in the Tierra Grande community. We communicate with the residents there and at the lower end of the county near Needville," said Jeff Janecek, Assistant Engineer of Fort Bend County.

One hundred fifty homes in the area of Fort Bend flooded after Tuesday's storms.

The county will begin debris clean up on May 20.

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