Family remembers woman who died during last year's Tax Day Floods
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's been a very painful year for the mother of one of the people who died in the so-called Tax Day Floods.
Claudia Cormier left balloons and flowers on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the death of her daughter, 25-year-old Claudia Melgar.
On Tuesday night, she held a memorial service to honor her life and invited ABC13.
"I want people not to forget," said Cormier.
Melgar was one of eight people killed in the Houston-area during the flooding on April 18, 2016. For some reason, she drove around a truck barricade and right into a flooded Westpark Tollway underpass, where she drowned. Roadway cameras captured her last moments and a rescue that was futile.
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"High water can kill your loved ones," Cormier said.
It's a message she wants people to hear.
Cormier and her daughter were very close and the loss has been excruciating. Now, she talks to people about the dangers of driving into high water and the importance of knowing what to do if your vehicle becomes submerged. She also confessed that sometimes she heads out to help people when there is heavy rain.
"I was out until almost 4 o'clock in the morning," she said of Monday night into Tuesday when there was a steady rain.
The city, county and state have made safety improvements in flood-prone areas. Gates, gauges and warning lights have been added, but Cormier believes more could be done.
"I don't want someone to go through this pain," she added.
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