RICHMOND, Texas – River levels and weather conditions are starting to stabilize in Fort Bend County, but surrounding neighborhoods are still facing potential flooding dangers.
Rosenberg
Mandatory evacuations were issued Friday evening for residents living south of the Brazos River along Avenue A from 1st St. to 8th St, and along 6th St from Avenue B to Avenue D.
A voluntary evacuation was issued Thursday afternoon for areas identified as "potential impact" in the city limits as a precautionary measure in response to rising waters in and around the Brazos River.
"It is worse than they expected, which is actually scary," resident Marcelo Granillo said.
Water made its way into a park, though it is supposed to be behind a tree line.
"I know people who used to come play here. It was a big park. You can't see much of it now," said Granillo.
Deputies went door to door on Thursday asking residents to evacuate.
The city distributed a flier that said, in part, "Rosenberg encourages all residents that could potentially be affected to immediately take precautions and make the necessary preparations to protect themselves and their property in the event flooding does occur."
Richmond
The Brazos River at the Richmond gauge rose four inches overnight Friday, according to the Fort Bend County Emergency Operations Center.
"You just don't know what to do because you see it, and it is right there at your back yard, and you think what do you do, what do you pack, you know," resident Sandra Wiles said.
Wiles, who has lived in the area for 33 years, said the higher the water rises, the more overwhelmed she becomes.
"You just panic. It is really hard," Wiles said.
The city has asked anyone who lives east of the river to evacuate.
"We got a paper from the fire marshal saying it was going to crest tomorrow," said Wiles.
Richmond is not recommending mandatory evacuation at this time but is asking its residents to take precautions - prepare to self evacuate if needed, secure all outside items, and move all important documents and personal items to higher places.
Red Cross shelters have been set up for evacuees at First Baptist Church Richmond at 502 South Fifth Street in Richmond, Acres Home Community at 6719 W. Montgomery in Houston, and the Chinese Community Center at 9800 Town Park in Houston.
Simonton
The City of Simonton is under an emergency declaration and continues to monitor and mitigate the Brazos River back flow into the Valley Lodge sub division in the City. The City is reinforced in their efforts with teams from Fort Bend County Roads and Bridges in operating pumps to attempt to control the river back flow.
A voluntary evacuation was underway earlier in the week with 10 percent of the residents choosing to relocate. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's office is providing security assistance and access control to the area threatened area. The Simonton City EOC is at full readiness and operating 24/7. No mandatory evacuation has been ordered at this time.
Crews from Fort Bend County on Thursday pumped gallons and gallons of flood water out of one Simonton subdivision before it could reach houses.
Chrissy Nogardi's house is near the bridge where crews were pumping water.
"We woke up this morning to water under our house with a snake, so we left," she said. "(We) came back a couple of hours later, and it is up 3 or 4 feet."
She took pictures of her home, which sits on stilts about 16 feet from the ground. Parts of it are already flooded.
"My daughter's house, which is attached to ours, is on the ground, and water is already going through her house," she said.
The family said they have spent hours getting belongings out of the house. They are packing up and leaving to stay with other family members until the rain has passed.
Nogradi said this week's weather has already taken a toll on them.
"Missing work, picking up my kids, my dog -- it's hard," she said.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office is setting up a command center in Simonton. Deputies are watching people's homes and will help anyone who gets stuck in the flooding.
The Fort Bend County Emergency Operations Center said it went to a full Level 1 activation on Thursday.
"We are going to get every resource we can to help with this situation," emergency management coordinator Jeff Braun said in a press release. "We have engaged our jurisdictions, the Red Cross and county departments to prepare for response activities."
You can view flooding updates for Fort Bend County by clicking here or get a list of road closures in the county by clicking here.
According to the National Weather Service, the Brazos River in Fort Bend County is expected to crest in the late Friday evening or early morning Saturday.
The river was already at 46 feet Thursday evening. The current NWS projections for the Brazos River put the crest at 50 feet, almost 6 feet below the top of the levee protecting Greatwood.
Brazoria County
In Brazoria County, officials have issued a voluntary evacuation for its residents. The Brazos River is expected to crest at 51.4 at Rosharon mid-morning on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. This could mimic the flooding conditions that occurred during 1992 and 1994.
The homes in the Brazos River and Oyster Creek flood plain should be prepared to evacuate as the river reaches 50.5 feet, predicted by National Weather Service to occur overnight Friday night.
Residents living in Riverside Estates at the end of County Road 39 and just south of FM 1462 are advised to evacuate at this time due to rising water. Residents on County Road 42 and along County Road 39 should be prepared to evacuate as waters continue to rise. Red Cross will be opening a shelter at First Baptist Church in Angleton at 6 p.m. Friday. The church is located at 237 East Locust.
Lake Jackson
The City of Lake Jackson continues to monitor the Brazos River. The Brazos River at the Rosharon gauge was at 50.7 feet Sunday morning. The National Weather Service predicts a crest of about 51 feet on Monday. Beginning Wednesday the river should start a slow, steady fall.
Historically the river north of the Harris Reservoir begins to leave the banks when the levels at the Rosharon gauge hits 50.5 to 50.8 feet, according to the City of Lake Jackson. They said Lake Jackson can expect some river overflow in that area over the next couple of days.