The Houston area was deluged with rain Tuesday evening into the night, causing major flooding and power outages in areas such as Kingwood, Sugar Land and Cleveland. Areas in Kingwood saw up to 10 inches of rainfall, while 12 inches of rain was reported in areas in Sugar Land, leaving some roads impassable. Sugar Land spokesman Doug Adolph said the Tuesday night flooding was "worse than what we experienced in Harvey." More than 800 students and 100-plus teachers and administrators were stranded at Southside Elementary in Cleveland Tuesday night as a result of the flooding.<doc-sep>Heavy storms and rain caused severe flooding across the Houston area, with areas near Kingwood hit the hardest. Some Kingwood area students and business owners were stranded Tuesday night during the storm. An estimated 400 homes flooded in Kingwood, KHOU reported.<doc-sep>After stronger-than-expected rain storms submerged streets and swamped homes in Kingwood, Jay Dabbracio woke before dawn Wednesday to begin removing soaked furniture and drywall from his home in the Sherwood Trails subdivision. His sister Ashley lent a hand. He estimated that repairs would cost about $40,000. Hurricane Harvey had left him dry, unlike many neighbors. His luck ran out Tuesday. “To be honest, we don’t have flood insurance,” Dabbracio said. “I thought we’d be good since we didn’t flood during Harvey. Apparently not.” Dabbracio was among the thousands of Houston-area residents whose lives were disrupted by thunderstorms that drenched the area Tuesday evening — inundating streets, flooding homes, schools and businesses, and stranding motorists and schoolchildren for hours. The rainfall was particularly severe in suburban areas such as Kingwood and Sugar Land, with Kingwood alone receiving 10 inches of rain over 18 hours. Although officials stressed that the storm was not comparable to Hurricane Harvey, which flooded more than 200,000 homes in the Houston area, it may have felt that way for communities still recovering from Hurricane Harvey or those that had been spared by that natural disaster. And while a relatively dry Wednesday gave the region’s bayous precious hours to drain, the break will likely be short-lived. Forecasters warned that more storms could hit the Houston area as early as Thursday and through the weekend, raising the prospect of additional flooding given the saturated ground. “We’re going to have widespread 5 to 8 inches of rain through Saturday with isolated amounts of 9 to 10 inches,” said Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist. “Those are very concerning amounts. There is the threat the next three days of home and structure flooding.” While the Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t begin until June 1, Lindner described this week’s line of storms as common for May along the Texas Gulf Coast. In fact, Houston-area residents weathered major flooding events on consecutive Memorial Days in 2015 and 2016 and during the so-called Tax Day floods of April 2016. Lindner urged residents to monitor weather forecasts, and said the county is prepared to staff its emergency operations center around-the-clock if necessary. “Most of Harris County can handle about 3 to 4 inches of rain in a 3- to 6-hour period,” Lindner said. “Anything over that, and we’re going to have to be worried about creeks and bayous going over their banks.” The threat of storms and additional flooding prompted the New Caney Independent School District to cancel classes at all schools Thursday and Friday. Students in that district and in Cleveland had to spend part of Tuesday night at their campuses after flooding prevented buses from leaving. Heavy rain elsewhere in the state caused flash flooding in numerous parts of northern, central and western Texas, causing one death in Austin. In Liberty County, an elderly man slipped or fell into a lake amid Tuesday’s stormy weather, though it’s unclear if his death was weather-related. In Baytown, heavy rain filled manholes and caused an overflow in the city’s sanitary sewer system. Cleanup activities were underway Wednesday, and the public was advised to contact the city to determine if water was safe. Pearland reported similar issues as an estimated 654,000 gallons overflowed into a drainage ditch to Clear Creek, near Barry Rose and Pearland Parkway. Residents were urged to avoid contact with the water. Fort Bend soaked In Fort Bend County, County Judge KP George issued a disaster declaration for the county for flash flooding and potential Brazos River flooding. “This weather situation is a serious threat to our residents,” George said in a written statement. “This flash flooding is contributing to the raised Brazos River levels, which pose a threat later this week. We are not out of the woods yet.” Many Rosenberg residents reported being unable to leave their homes Tuesday night because of floodwaters. By Wednesday morning, the storm had moved on but left brimming retention ponds, muddy roads and soggy fields. The city of Rosenberg received several reports of vehicles pushing water over curbs and into garages, but had yet to receive reports of home flooding, city spokesman Lorenzo Lerma said. Nearly a dozen cars were stranded in roads or on medians near Reading Street. Jennifer Manus, 43, waited for a tow around 9:50 a.m. Wednesday near a subdivision entrance close to Winter Crescent Drive in Richmond. She had abandoned her car early Tuesday evening, realizing she couldn’t safely make it through the water. Victoria O’Neal, 39, decided to travel at her mother’s house for the night Tuesday after picking up her two children from school and being told by her husband that their home smelled like smoke. As water splashed on the roof of her SUV, her vehicle’s computer system began to malfunction, and she too pulled over on Winter Crescent. Wearing boots, O’Neal began walking with her worried, backpack-clad children through the pouring rain, she said. “It’s hard to walk because it’s so muddy and there was so much rain,” she said. “We were getting stuck.” The water was initially ankle-deep, but O’Neal noticed it suddenly covering about half of her 8-year-old daughter’s leg. Terrified of being washed away, O’Neal knocked on door after door until a woman and her grandmother gave them a place to stay for the night. Residents also waded through thigh-deep water with improvised walking sticks past abandoned cars in the Colony Bend neighborhood of Sugar Land Wednesday morning. Neighbors said no homes flooded, though high water swamped cars and stranded many motorists. “I really wasn’t expecting it to flood this bad. This was quicker than Harvey,” said Carl Carson. “It was all the way up to past my mailbox last night.” Floodwater lingered in the neighborhood Wednesday morning, leading residents to worry that it was not draining. As much as 9 inches of rain fell in Sugar Land, where Mayor Jim Zimmerman said in a Facebook video that the gates for the levies in the Brazos River had been closed due to high water levels.<doc-sep>A mural of George Floyd is shown in the intersection of 38th St & Chicago Ave on March 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Community members continue preparations during the third day in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with multiple counts of murder in the death of George Floyd. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 01: President Donald Trump's lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani talks to journalists outside the White House West Wing July 01, 2020 in Washington, DC. Giuliani did an on-camera interview with One America News Network's Chanel Rion before talking to other journalists about Vice President Joe Biden and the news that Russian intelligence may have paid Taliban operatives to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Vigils & tributes to George Floyd one year since his murder ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 28: Former President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on February 28, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Begun in 1974, CPAC brings together conservative organizations, activists, and world leaders to discuss issues important to them. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Here's what reported grand jury in Trump case may look like NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 09: People walk past the Trump Tower as the impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins in Washington on February 09, 2021 in New York City. After listening to nearly four hours of legal arguments, the Senate has voted on Tuesday to move ahead with the impeachment trial of former President Trump. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the conflict in the Middle East from Cross- Hall of the White House on May 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. Israel and Hamas announced that they would agree to a cease-fire, which will take into effect on Friday, following days of fighting that claimed more than 200 lives. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) SAN JOSE, CA - MAY 26: A view of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light-rail yard where a mass shooting occurred on May 26, 2021 in San Jose, California. A VTA employee opened fire at the yard, with preliminary reports indicating nine people dead including the gunman. (Photo by Philip Pacheco/Getty Images) A healthcare worker prepares to administer a Pfizer/BioNTEch coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine at The Michener Institute, in Toronto, Ontario on December 14, 2020. - Ontario, Canada's most populous province and one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, had 1,940 new cases and 23 deaths on Monday. The province is expected to give its next doses to nursing home workers as a priority, according to media reports. (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARLOS OSORIO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) 'Never seen levels like this': Union president on airline passenger misconduct Memorial Day weekend will bring rain and cool air for much of the East Vehicles wade through flooded Kingwood Drive as thunderstorms hit the Kingwood area Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Kingwood, Texas. Heavy rain is battering parts of southeast Texas prompting flash flood warnings, power outages and calls for water rescues. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP) (CNN) — About 60 students stranded at a Texas elementary school overnight amid heavy rain and flooding are home as of Wednesday morning, a school official said. A downpour kept buses and parents off the roads in Cleveland, Texas, and forced Southside Elementary to keep students inside, Cleveland Independent School District spokeswoman Susan Ard told CNN. “In Cleveland we have a lot of low-lying areas,” Ard said. “We can’t get buses through.” More than 100 faculty and staff members remained at the school to sleep in shifts to keep watch on the students, Ard said. A local church brought in cots so students and staff could stay the night, she added. The students – mostly elementary-school age – kept busy playing cards and watching television, Ard said. School was not in session for the district Wednesday. Ask me again Why Cleveland ISD is amazing? We have the Best Students and the Best Staff and Faculty! Our amazing... Posted by Cleveland Independent School District on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 The flooding comes with more than 30 million people in the potential path for severe storms Wednesday from Texas north to Illinois, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said. The heaviest rain over the next few days will be concentrated from southeast Texas into Louisiana and Arkansas, and by Saturday morning much of that region will see an additional 3 to 6 inches of rain and widespread flooding. In Austin, Texas, emergency responders were called about a report of a person swept away in swiftly moving water on Wednesday. The body of a 50-year-old man was then found in Lady Bird Lake, Austin-Travis County officials said. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott placed water-rescue resources on standby across the state. “As Texas prepares for another round of severe weather, including the potential for tornadoes and dangerous flooding, multiple state resources have been prepositioned for rapid deployment should local officials need assistance with search and rescue operations,” Abbott in a statement. “We are asking Texans to stay alert during this dangerous storm system and heed all warnings from local officials.” Flooding across Texas KTRK Commuters in the Houston area cope with flooding after heavy rain Tuesday. Southeast Texas has seen widespread flooding following intense rain this week. Sugar Land, southwest of Houston, had more than 10 inches of rain, the National Weather Service said Wednesday. A graphic of rainfall totals for an 18-hour period Tuesday into Wednesday showed the extent of the deluge in parts of the Houston area. Rainfall totals from 7AM May 7 to 1AM May 8 for an 18 hr period ranged significantly from under 1" in NW Harris County to as much as 10" near Kingwood and more than 12" SW of Sugar Land. Unfortunately more heavy rainfall will be possible through the end of the week. #houwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/EPasrWLOJl — NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) May 8, 2019<doc-sep>
There was flooding all across the Houston area on Tuesday. And there could be more in the coming days. HOUSTON — Gov. Greg Abbott said late Tuesday night he would send additional rescue boats to assist residents in Houston and Harris County. As for school districts, Cleveland ISD and New Caney ISD are among those that will be closed Wednesday. GET ALERTS ON THE GO: Download the KHOU 11 app and follow us on Facebook and Twitter City of Sugar Land officials said all major roadways are impassable after receiving more than 7 inches of rain in 4 hours. Water is receding slowly, however. Fort Bend County Judge KP George tweeted all tolls would be waived on the Fort Bend Parkway, Westpark Toll Road and Grand Parkway in Fort Bend County. He issued a disaster declaration for the county late Tuesday night. Sugar Land resident Alie King and her family got 4 inches of water in their home in the Tara subdivision in Richmond. New Caney ISD said due to safety concerns, buses will not be transporting students home Tuesday night. District officials said campuses will remain open for parents to pick up their children throughout the evening and into the night. The district will be closed Wednesday due to severe weather. The Houston Fire Department said as of 7 p.m. Tuesday, evacuations for 20 to 30 residents from homes north of Northpark Drive were underway. One KHOU 11 viewer shared video of a man in Kingwood whose car took on water as he drove through heavy rain and floodwaters. There was also street flooding in Spring. Pedro sent us video of high water near Aldine Westfield. Jake Smookier shared video of pounding rain in Spring. He said the strong thunderstorm knocked out power in his neighborhood.