As harsh weather and heavy rains pounded sections of Texas on May 3rd, the Houston region prepared for disaster.
A flood warning is in place in the southeast areas of Texas and Louisiana.
Many flash flood watches have been issued for Texas.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo informed reporters at a press conference that the Office of Emergency Management in Harris County activated to its maximum level on Friday morning in preparation for the impending storm.
The torrential rains that had already begun to fall in Polk County were headed to Harris County faster than predicted, so Hidalgo issued a new weather warning.
Residents residing in close proximity to the East of the San Jacinto River were ordered to evacuate Thursday after Harris County declared a disaster. Those who were unable to flee will probably spend at least a couple of days cooped up in their homes.
On Thursday, Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency to ensure that 59 more counties in Texas are included in the disaster designation and that Texans get the help they need to be safe from the ongoing floods and severe storms. He said that Texans in high-risk locations should be informed about the weather, listen to public announcements, and stay away from roads that are too risky to drive on during floods. The state of Texas will send more resources in coordination with local authorities and emergency management to continue supporting and protecting Texans.
The harsh weather is also causing power disruptions, which are affecting residents. Friday afternoon, more than 2,200 customers in Houston were reported as being without power, according to an outage tracker.
The mechanism by which water vapor from the seas and other bodies of water rises to the sky and eventually returns to Earth as precipitation, such as rain, hail, sleet, or snow, is known as the water cycle or hydrologic cycle. Rainfall is the primary cause of flooding in Texas, which occurs regularly due to the state’s diverse geography and its position beside the Gulf of Mexico.