HOUSTON – For years, W. Bellfort Avenue along the Southwest Freeway has flooded. For one Houston auto shop owner, that’s meant years of headaches — and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
Bhavesh Patel has owned Orion Car Care on W. Bellfort Avenue for 21 years. After Thursday’s storm, he was mopping out his office and tallying up the damage — damage he says now totals around $350,000 over the years.
“Well, I’ve been to these things almost about 12 or 13 times. So I’m not surprised. But yesterday, there were coming out so fast. See, right here, the level,” Patel said.
FEMA has helped cover some of those costs, but not all of them.
“So the FEMA, yes, they paid me for that,” Patel said.
Patel estimates he’s still paid roughly $150,000 out of pocket.
“I would say from my pocket, I would easily say about 150,” he said.
To minimize future damage, Patel replaced the sheetrock inside his office with a brick wall — a costly but necessary upgrade, he said.
Patel is still assessing the possible damage left behind from showers tied to tropical storm Bertha.
City drainage work hasn’t solved problem, owner says
In 2021, the city of Houston completed $6 million in drainage renovations on W. Bellfort Avenue in an effort to reduce flooding, according to a city of Houston chief of communications. Patel acknowledges the work, but said the results have fallen short.
“But the result is not 100%. They worked for it, yes, but the result is not 100 percent,” he said.
Patel said the project was budgeted at more than $6 million — and yet water still pours in.
“Still, we’re getting the water,” Patel said.
The City of Houston calls the recurring issue “temporary ponding.”
The city is working with the Harris County Flood Control District to address flood-prone areas in the region. According to the city, $200 million is planned for improvements to Keegans Bayou — the city says it should help reduce ponding along W. Bellfort Avenue.