LIVINGSTON, Texas – Liberty County emergency management officials do not expect the levels of the Trinity River to start dropping until Tuesday. In fact, emergency management officials do not anticipate the river will even crest until early next week.
While widespread residential flooding is not expected, at least 12 neighborhoods in Liberty County and two in neighboring San Jacinto County are being affected by the river flooding. Many of these neighborhoods are seeing roads in and out of the areas becoming impassable.
“I came to work by boat this morning. My husband dropped me off. He went to work. I went to work,” said Angie Yarbrough, who lives in the New River Lake Estates neighborhood.
Several residents heeded the flood warnings, moving cars to higher ground, stocking up on supplies and moving furniture out.
“They got all my furniture out and got it in a trailer parked in my son's garage,” said Terry Sublett, who lives in the Trinity River and Lake Estates.
While residents such as Sublett do not expect the water go into their homes, they are taking extra precautions since Hurricane Harvey destroyed many homes in this area a year ago.
“It destroyed everything I own. I had to buy all new furniture, icebox, stove, everything,” said Sublett.
Even though residential flooding is not expected, having impassable roads is creating a hardship for many residents.
“We have to look out for each other and check with our neighbors. Then there are those that leave. We worry about people coming in, snooping around,” said Yarbrough.
Yarbrough said this latest round of flooding also has her hoping to work with county officials on adding another level of warnings for those in more rural areas.
“Some of our neighbors don't have phones. Some of them don't have cars,” said Yarbrough.
San Jacinto County officials opened a Red Cross shelter in Coldspring in case residents need a place to stay until river levels drop. As of Thursday evening, no one was staying at the shelter, but volunteers said they had provided food to about 25 residents.
Liberty County has also issued a boil water notice to residents in New River Lake estates and Horseshoe Lake Estates.