HOUSTON – A Spring Branch homeowner repeated flooding events in recent years have left him living in constant fear every time heavy rain moves into the Houston area.
Standing along a drainage ditch in the 2200 block of Bauer Drive, Paul Braddock points to what he says is the source of the problem. According to Braddock, whenever heavy rain falls, water collects in the ditch instead of draining away. As the water rises, it spills across the street and onto his property. After Hurricane Beryl, he says, floodwaters even entered his home.
“A couple of inches of water, a half-foot of water crashed down my driveway and then flooded my entire home,” Braddock recalled of the 2024 storm.
Since that flood, Braddock says he has done everything a homeowner is expected to do. He has repeatedly contacted the City of Houston through emails, phone calls and 311 service requests, documenting every flooding event with photos and videos.
“I’ve got around 80 emails to and from the city where I have submitted pictures, videos and have just every event I have been documenting since then,” Braddock said.
He says much of his communication has been with a city employee named Vincent Wells.
When 2 Helps You pointed out a Public Works employee with a name like Wells should be pretty good when it comes to getting water moving, Braddock quickly pointed out, “It would be great if he helped”.
According to Braddock, promises of improvements never materialized. “One time he called me to tell me that the whole area was getting fixed. Since then it’s actually gotten worse,” he said.
The ongoing flooding has forced Braddock to invest thousands of dollars into protecting his own property. He constructed a retaining wall, installed protective berms and added multiple sump pumps in an effort to keep floodwaters from reaching his home.
“I had to, and I also had to put up those berms... to stop water from crashing into my property... and even back here you will see two of my sump pumps,” Braddock explained.
After reviewing the situation, I contacted Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi directly and briefed on Braddock’s concerns.
“I have no idea off the top of my head, but I’m going to find out,” Macchi said on the call.
Less than two hours later, Macchi followed up, confirming to 2 Helps You that Braddock’s case had been overlooked. He said the matter would be expedited and directed his staff to move the project forward.
Braddock was appreciative of 2 Helps You delivering a solution and hopes the renewed attention finally leads to a permanent fix before another major storm puts his home at risk again.
We of course will monitor this case closely until that final resolution is delivered.
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