HOUSTON – Stilts were serving their purpose along the west fork of the San Jacinto River Saturday afternoon as water below perched homes rose 30 inches out of its banks. Even homes away from the water, such as those in Cypress, couldn't escape the high waters.
As floodwater began to infiltrate nearby neighborhoods, some homeowners nestled between the river and its surrounding coves, such as Forest Cove, had their attention torn in two directions.
"The river rises on both sides equally, so if we're constantly watching it from here, we may not be able to get out of the subdivision that way, so it could end up flooding on both sides," Joy Rizzi, a homeowner along the San Jacinto River said.
On the road that normally leads to many of the homes along the river, many homes were flooded on both sides, left as islands in the roadway. Resident Joe Pinter had been taking food to some of the residents that elected to stay in his 6-wheel vehicle.
"They're stranded. They can't come out without a 4-wheeler or a boat," Pinter said.
For those homes that are dealing with high water in the area, the Harris County Flood Control District doesn't think the problem will be resolved until late Sunday or early Monday morning.
In Cypress, water levels had receded some on Saturday, but standing water still kept people out of their homes.
VIDEO: Families in Cypress make their way home
"The Cy Creek Fire Department drove up to my door in their boat and said it's time to go," resident Kim Goldberg, who evacuated Friday, said.
No more evacuations were ordered Saturday, but homeowners now have to deal with the leftover mess and lack of electricity. Michael Smith and his family tried to make the best of their situation while stuck at home with nowhere to go.
"We ain't got no power, gotta be outside anyway, cleaning the gutters, trying to get the water flowing on top of the house," Smith said. "We call it rednecking in the city. We just come out, we have a generator, brought a lamp out from the house and set up right here and grilled some brats."