Galveston County OEM urges residents to prepare for days of rainfall

DICKINSON, Texas – The Galveston County Office of Emergency Management is asking that residents prepare for the next five days.

Officials working with the National Weather Service said they are expecting multiple inches of rain because of three named storms and a potential tropical depression.

"The National Weather Service told us to expect 1-4 inches every day for the next five days. Those are estimates. They can't even tell us where that rain will fall," said Galveston County Judge Mark Henry.

While some weather experts believe that the actual rain will be closer to 1-2 inches, officials said it is important to be prepared.

"Prescription medications and pets are the two things people forget about until it's too late," Henry said. "We're also urging residents not to drive in floodwater."

Galveston County OEM is working with city officials and the National Weather Service to monitor three named storms and a potential tropical depression.

"We'll also see coastal and tidal impacts from [tropical disturbance] 95L, and that will last for the next few days. We are a little concerned that we're going to see water over Highway 87 on Bolivar Peninsula," Henry said.

In Dickinson, City Councilman Louis Decker has been prepared for water.

"You either get not enough rain or too much," Decker said. "Four inches I dumped today. Yesterday, same time, I had about 6 [inches]."

Officials recommend that residents have and practice an emergency plan and prepare supplies for five days.

Decker said he dug up a trench more than a decade ago to help with the rainwater that collects in his backyard.

He lives a couple minutes form the Dickinson Bayou.

"That trench right there -- I cut the grass Sunday evening, anticipating the rain," Decker said.

Gerhard Meinecke lives along Dickinson Bayou. He said the bayou hasn't been cleaned and said the drainage issues are a problem.

"Two hundred fifty square miles flow into Dickinson Bayou. It comes from Texas City, Friendswood, League City, Alvin," Meinecke said.

Meinecke said he waterproofed his home, but he hopes the bayou is taken care of too.

"It's unpredictable, because now, every time you have 3-4 inches of rain, because it's muddied up so high, it's going to rise above its banks," Meinecke said.

Officials said Wednesday that the levels of the bayous were at safe levels, but they said residents should keep themselves informed.

Follow @GalvCountyOEM on Twitter for the latest updates.