Huffman residents forced to deal with another round of devastating flooding

HUFFMAN, Texas – Residents in the Huffman neighborhood near Afton Way are dealing with multiple feet of water. For many, it's a painful reminder of what they went through during Hurricane Harvey. Now, many are forced to start over, again.

Hoping for best

"We moved everything we could upstairs, but you can't put your whole first floor upstairs," Cynthia Watson said.

When Harvey hit in 2017, 4 1/2 feet of water came into Watson's home. She was rescued by good Samaritans on boats. She climbed outside her bedroom window onto a boat that took her to safety.

"We lived here for 30 years with no water, and the last two years, the second time, so it's heartbreaking," Watson said.

 

 

She is like many in the Huffman subdivision who had thought Tropical Depression Imelda's wrath would not be that bad.

"We really didn't think it was going to happen again. I mean, we were incredulous," Erika Muzyka said.

Some residents prepared. Others evacuated Thursday night.

Water and current kept rising

On Friday morning, the Harris County Sheriff's Office sent teams out to the area just before 8 a.m. The teams rescued more than 50 people.

"By the time we left, it was already to our knees, so not much time to save anything in our house," Angie Armstrong said.

Armstrong owns a restoration business but never thought she'd have to be on the other side of things.

"We've been in the business 20 years, and never have we once been affected by this," Armstrong said.

HCSO, local fire departments and friends and neighbors assisted with the rescue efforts in a neighborhood with more than 40 homes receiving water.

Neighbors were thankful.

"I arrived out here about 8:20, and we had citizens already in the water bringing people out," Albert Ashworth, with the Harris County Sheriff's Office, said.

Some chose to stay in their homes. Meanwhile, many are now focusing on what to do next.

"We're going to have to stay with family, and we're just going to do everything over again. Rip out the sheetrock. Replace the floors," Muzyka said.