HOUSTON – The July 4th flood ranks as the least significant of the major holiday floods since 2015.
It was mainly a street flooding event, with most of the area bayous staying below flood stage.
Here's a look at some numbers from the event:
- Up to 8 inches of rain fell in two to three hours in parts of Harris County.
- One bayou overspilled its banks – Buffalo Bayou.
- Twelve hundred locations in our waterways still need repairs due to Harvey damage.
- $84 million is the price tag for those repairs.
- $2.5 billion is the amount for the bond project that Harris County will ask voters if they want to approve in August for additional flood risk reduction projects.
What were the lessons learned from past storms?
“Some of the lessons we learned during Harvey worked out very well,” said Francisco Sanchez, deputy director of the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “We had excellent real-time information on TranStar's website about where potentially we could see high water locations.”
Sanchez said road closures were implemented quickly and that the ongoing Braes Bayou widening project may have made an impact.
“We were able to keep that bayou in its banks,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez said improved communication between the San Jacinto River Authority, Lake Houston, and Lake Conroe and knowing how those bodies of water may affect other waterways was extremely helpful during the July 4th storm.
What still needs to be done?
Harvey left behind $84 million in repairs to 1,200 locations. The Harris County Flood Control District is working on those repair projects which include slough or concrete that may have failed.
In August, voters can decide if they want to pass $2.5 billion in bonds for flood improvement projects.