Waller County acting fast to help 2 subdivisions get through impassible road after rain events

WALLER COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Waller County is acting fast to prevent another dangerous flooding event along Clay Road, which closed off access to two neighborhoods and left school buses unable to drop off students.

Construction there could take at least another six weeks, but after last week's flooding, a county commissioner tells ABC13 they have a plan to prevent disaster.

After heavy rain, Clay Road was virtually impassable. Flooding made entry into the Sunterra subdivision more difficult and neighboring Lake House impossible.

Deann Warzon moved into Sunterra in April. She's one of the hundreds putting down roots in the new 7,000-home development that necessitates the construction along Clay Road, but she understands.

ORIGINAL STORY: Construction causes flooding concerns in Waller Co. for residents

"It floods quickly," she said. "It's hard, but you know they're doing a good job of trying to make the road better."

It's better in the long run but potentially dangerous in the short term. The area's Emergency Services District Director Tim Gibson says his agency has stationed high water vehicles nearby in anticipation of heavy rain. He has sounded the alarm about how the construction-induced flooding slows emergency response times.

"Inevitably when you start damming it up by cutting parts of the road off for cutting, some of the draining of that water is going to pond up and stay," Gibson told ABC13. "We have already encountered situations where ambulances and fire trucks had to take different routes in, or we were going to have to go through high water."

Kendric Jones is the Waller County Precinct 3 Commissioner who represents the area. He met with residents over the weekend and is working to help them as engineers and contractors try to mitigate the flooding. And they think they have a plan that will work by restricting access points.

"We're going to control what we can control," Jones said. "They'll be able to get out and in, and most importantly, they'll be able to be safe."

They are still working to coordinate a meeting among residents, the developer, and the county to better communicate the plan for a faster resolution to the issue.

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