I thought I’d be able to sprint home from the office to prepare for the eventual flooding but the 4 mile trip was nearly a disaster. I left the Medical Center around 11:00 AM and Holcombe was clear but I turned onto Kirby and it was a total nightmare. Countless trophy wives had submerged their Jaguars and Range Rovers in and around Rice Village. BMW Minis were going down left and right. I finally made it to the overpass at 59 which was impassable at street level. I spent an hour or more in the Hooter’s-IHOP parking lot while the water continued to rise and claim those attempting to use the feeder. A Hooters on high ground in Houston is a wonderful sight to behold.
I stayed there for a while and watched the disaster unfold around me.One news station reported rainfall rates of up to 4″ per hour in my area – which is incredible but seems about right. Once the rain let up a bit the news helicopters showed up while the parking lot continued to take on refugees. The water eventually receded a bit and I made my way to another parking lot near Westheimer. I only had to wait 15 minutes or so there before I was able to come up with a path around the water at that spot. From there it was fairly easy to make my way downtown – home. We aren’t out of the woods yet:
There are reports of widespread street flooding. HFD advises everyone to avoid the Texas Medical Center, Reliant Park and downtown Houston.
I live in one of those spots and work in the other. KTRK has photos and weather updates. KHOU has a live webcast. I’m going to dry off. Posting will resume in a bit.
Update:
This account, and others, can be found on the Houston Chronicle’s Tropical Weather Blog.
