Anticipated Severe Brazos River Flooding Memorial Day Weekend

I live in the county that is going to have significant flooding so far the flood map doesn’t show water here but some 3 miles to the sw at four corners  south of my area in mission bend there will be backed up water.

This will be the same type flood that happened in 1957.   In 1957 a survey plane from Dow Chemical flew and did a area wide flood survey and on a large tropo map of the flooded areas and hope they can get the map and read it so they can get a better handle on what’s coming.. I worked the 1998 flood and the water will be 4 foot higher than when I was with the EMO. There is going to be wide spread flooding down here.  

Back in 1899 from historical archives water was 8 feet deep in Richmond and Rosenburg and the river spread out 18 to 20 miles.  

Mark   

Fort Bend County FEMA

Fort Bend County, TX – There is a strong possibility that the Brazos River will rise to the highest level ever recorded in Fort Bend County, obliterating a record set in 1994, and potentially inundating hundreds of homes, even some distance from the river in what amounts to a potential 100-year flood.

Over twenty inches of rain have fallen in areas north of the Brazos River, setting records for Mill Creek, the Brazos at San Felipe and the second-highest recorded level for the Brazos at Hempstead (the highest level since 1957). All that water from Mill Creek and Hempstead is flowing south down the Brazos River, causing flooding in Simonton and moving the City of Simonton to issue a mandatory evacuation order.

“This is a serious incident with a strong potential for an unprecedented 100-year flood event” says Judge Robert Hebert, Fort Bend County Judge, “residents must consider the potential impact to their lives, their property, and their mobility before water levels rise and it is too late.”

Should the Brazos River meet the current forecast of 53.5 feet we will see widespread flooding in unprotected areas of the county. Residents must take steps now to protect their lives and property.

If the river exceeds its forecast, we will see what FEMA classifies as a 100-year flood. FEMA modeling has shown us that areas immediately along the river in a 100-year flood become a “floodway,” meaning the river is over banks and flowing through those areas. These models also show that widespread flooding can occur outside levee protected areas as far as 4 miles from the river in some parts of the county. If residents are unsure if they live within a 100-year floodplain, they should consult the Fort Bend County Floodplain Map by visiting http://fortbendcountytx.gov/riverlevels, clicking on “Floodplain Map,” and then clicking on “Floodplain Mapping Tool. On this page you can enter an address to see if it falls in the FEMA 100-year floodplain.

“Some residents around in 1994 think they know what to expect when the river is at the same level (51.4 measured in Richmond), but they cannot account for the changes in the river in the past 22 years.” adds Jeff Braun, Emergency Management Coordinator for Fort Bend County, “new levee protected areas added since the 1994 flood, natural movement of the river over two decades, and increased development in floodplains and upstream have all changed the behavior of the river. Residents need to be prepared for the worst, especially since the current forecast puts the river over two feet higher than the 1994 levels.”

Residents should check the National Weather Service river gauges listed onhttp://fortbendcountytx.gov/riverlevels, stay tuned to local media, follow Fort Bend County onFacebook and Twitter, check the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management website, and heed instructions from local officials. Information on preparing for flooding can be found on the National Flood Insurance Program page https://FloodSmart.gov.

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Fort Bend County is located in the Texas Southeast, immediately South and West of Harris County and the city of Houston. It is the home of over 600,000 people and is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. For more information about Fort Bend County, visit the county homepage at http://www.fortbendcountytx.gov.

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was established to protect the residents and property of Fort Bend County from damage relating to disasters. The OEM accomplishes this through effective planning, preparation, response, and recovery. For more information about the Fort Bend County OEM, visit the OEM homepage at http://www.fbcoem.org.

http://www.fbcoem.org/go/doc/1528/2834742/