Memorial Day flood victims on edge as threat of severe weather looms
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's Deja vu, all over again. For homeowners in Meyerland whose homes flooded over Memorial Day, the forecast for this weekend has them plenty worried.
"I'm freaking out," said Arlene Lassin.
She is living in her home still among boxes and cold water. She and her husband had everything that got wet torn or taken out of their home. They initially planned to restore it but that proved too costly and the damage was just too great. So now they plan to demolish the home, raise the elevation and rebuild.
In the meantime though it is their belongings which they worry about, should the neighborhood flood again.
"I don't trust Harris County flood and I don't trust Houston to fix the problem," Lassin said.
City and county leaders say they are ready.
"It is difficult to predict where the problems might arise," said Houston Mayor Annise Parker.
The Regional Joint Information Center will be activated at 2pm Saturday, ahead of the storm, in order to have city and county leaders in place to prepare for and respond to the storm.
"We want to make sure that Houstonians take normal precautions. And for the most part, once that rain starts, that we decide to stay home," said Parker.
Beyond this weekend, homeowners in Meyerland wonder about the ramifications of another flood. Will homeowners stay if it does?
"People have left this area for that very reason. People can't imagine being flooded out again," said Shoshana Kahn.
A check of home sales in the Meyerland area shows a rapid increase in the months after the Memorial Day flooding. According the the Houston Association of Realtors, there were double the number of homes sold in that area in September of this year versus September of last year, 26 and 13 respectively.
