HOUSTON – Many Houston-area residents spent Monday cleaning up after days of rain led to their homes being flooded.
Ivan Militiev lives in the Timber Lakes/Timber Ridge area in south Montgomery County. On Thursday, he had about 2.5 feet of water from Panther Creek in his living room.
Militiev said he has spent the past three days ripping up carpet, pulling down wallboard and moving out furniture.
"It's important to get it rolling," he said. "First thing, the moisture builds up and up. The longer it sits, the higher it builds."
Militiev said he thinks his insurance will cover most of what was damaged -- and that's just about everything.
Militiev said that was the second time his house flooded. The last time was during Hurricane Ike in 2008.
He said he will rebuild again, because it's home.
"I'm going to come strong that it ever was," he said. "I love this house."
Residents in the Norchester subdivision were working hard, too.
Cypress Creek overflowed into Barbara Citro's home. It came so fast that she didn't have time to save much.
Citro said her home has flooded four times. She wants to move, but she said she can't afford that.
"I love this neighborhood," she said. "The neighborhood is great. I raised all my kids here. But I can't do this. I can't do this another time. It's too stressful."
Because the neighborhood is prone to flooding, some of Citro's neighbors have been bought out by the government over the years. Those homes have been torn down. Citro said she doesn't qualify.
"I got turned down last time because my elevation certificate was too low."
Harris County Flood Control District crews were out Monday to take a look at Cypress Creek at Grant Road. The water rose about 23 feet higher than normal during last week's storms. The water was back in its banks on Monday.
"It's just a reminder of our environment here in Houston," said Becky Martinez of the Harris County Flood Control District. "We live in an area where we have lots of creeks, lots of bayous, and rain can surprise us. We've got to always be careful and watch where we're going."
Officials said they've gotten 50 to 100 reports of flooded homes in Harris County. They said they need people to fill out a report if their house flooded. That form is available on Harris County's website.
Montgomery County residents who need help recovering from the flooding should contact the Montgomery County United Way at 281-292-4155, extension 265.
PHOTOS: Friday's Flooding