MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas – Less than 24 hours after getting the all-clear to return home, families living near the Lewis Creek Reservoir dam in Montgomery County are once again on edge, watching yet another round of storms move in.
Authorities at the Lewis Creek Reservoir have been monitoring the water levels since Thursday, when rain washed away part of the dam and flood waters threatened homes in the area.
On Sunday morning, mandatory evacuations were issued for residents in the area. Law enforcement officers also went door to door and drove up and down residential streets with a loud speaker, asking people to evacuate their homes Sunday. The evacuations were canceled Sunday night.
Entergy said Monday afternoon that repairs have reduced the threat of a dam failure, but that the possibility still remains.
"While we cannot completely rule out further problems with the dam, the repairs we've made have put us in a much better place today than late last week," Entergy Texas president and CEO Sallie Rainer said. "We want residents to remain vigilant and prepare to act quickly, but conditions have improved daily."
More than 8,000 tons of limestone, protective coverings secured with almost 7,500 sandbags and almost 2,000 feet of Tiger Dams, which are water-filled, elongated flexible tubes, were put in place to protect the area from forecasted rainfall, according to the company.
Crews remain on site to respond to any potential issues.