HOUSTON – In anticipation of potential heavy rainfall this weekend, the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said it’s important for people to pay close attention to the forecast.
“We’ve got some deep tropical moisture in the Gulf. One of the things we are likely to see is some heavy rainfall in the area,” said Francisco Sanchez, deputy emergency management coordinator for the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “Some areas may not see any rainfall, some may see just enough to water the lawns -- and that’s very much needed -- and some people will see some that will be inconvenient. High-water locations are a possibility.”
WATCH: Preparing for tropical activity this weekend
The forecast is calling for 2 to 5 inches of rain over a three-day period from Saturday evening into Tuesday, according to Jeff Lindner, meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District and director of the Hydrologic Operations Division.
Lindner said that, this past week, a lot of false information was posted on social media, alluding to a bigger event than what’s forecast to happen over the weekend.
“We just have to be mindful of where people are getting their information from in this day and age. Obviously, anyone can now post information to social media, YouTube, all kinds of places and come off as some type of professional,” said Lindner.
He’s concerned that, if rain events are blown out of proportion, people will stop listening, and that could be a problem, especially when a big storm hits.
Lindner and Sanchez said they understand people are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey and may be concerned whenever rain is in the forecast.
“We certainly appreciate there’s a lot of sensitivity in the community post-Harvey and a lot of the things people see on social media about this storm,” said Sanchez. “The fact is, there are a lot of things we don’t know about this forecast. What we do know is that we see a very heavy potential for rainfall and will need to watch that closely, but by no means is this a Harvey forecast.”
Houston Public Works said right now is a good time for property owners to make sure trash and debris are removed from street drains so stormwater can pass through without any obstructions.