This week it will be hot, with a heat index over 105 degrees, leaving many vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.
Read about how you can be prepared on Homeland Security & Emergency Management’s Heat and Drought preparedness page.
Featured Stories
Flooding from Recent Rain Storm
Fort Bend County Homeland Security & Emergency Management is monitoring the rainfall today and has heard reports of road closures and isolated structural flooding in portions of the County near Kendleton and Needville.
The National Weather Service issued a Flood Advisory for western portion of the County this morning due to heavy rainfall. There is also a Flood Warning along San Bernard River due to heavy rainfall amounts causing very rapid rises in river levels. The Flood Warning for the entire region continues through tonight.
Residents should report damage on our website via the “Report your Damage” page on the HS&EM website: https://fbcoem.org/report-damage/
Drainage and Rivers
The San Bernard River is rising and the office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management is monitoring with the Fort Bend County Drainage District. Over six inches of rain fell last night along the western border of the County, and the river has risen by almost nine feet over the past four hours. The Brazos River is high but well within it’s banks. Unless the situation changes dramatically, we are not expecting any river impacts along the Brazos at this time. Isolated areas may continue to see drainage systems overwhelmed and see some flash flooding.
Tierra Grande
The San Bernard river is rising near East Bernard and Boling river gauges. National Weather Service forecasts for over 40 feet in Boling on the afternoon of June 6, which would be significantly higher than last month’s crest. The low-water crossing into the Tierra Grande subdivision will probably flood later today, June 5. The Fort Bend County Emergency Operations Center is watching the river, you should too. Check on family and friends. Take action, stay safe.
More information about the rivers in the County can be found here: https://fbcoem.org/fort-bend-county-waterways-rivers/
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Follow for updates
Fort Bend County Homeland Security & Emergency Management will continue posting updates here and on our Twitter and Facebook pages throughout the day. Please follow, like, and subscribe and share our posts to help spread the word!
Fort Bend County Issues Disaster Declaration
Fort Bend County judge KP George has issued a Disaster Declaration for flash flooding and potential Brazos River
flooding. A disaster declaration authorizes the County to take certain response and recovery actions, and is the first step which can ultimately result in State or Federal declarations.
“Our residents need to understand that this is a serious threat,” says Fort Bend County Judge KP George, “this flash flooding tonight is contributing to the Brazos River levels, which still pose a threat later this week. We are not out of the woods yet.”
The Fort Bend County EOC is monitoring the situation carefully and coordinating and assisting response operations.
For more information about the flooding incident this week, keep checking this website for the County’s official updates, and the HS&EM Facebook and Twitter pages. Officials at the EOC strive to provide you with the most official and accurate information.
Brazos River levels rising, Homeland Security & Emergency Management Monitoring this Week
Fort Bend County officials are closely monitoring the Brazos River forecast this week. Heavy rainfall upstream in the river’s watershed last week is sending a lot of water our way. The upstream reservoirs are not releasing and are holding back a lot of water; the reservoirs are doing their job and we’re glad they’re there!
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The current forecast is for the river to reach similar levels to this January at the end of the week. From ongoing discussions with our partners today, Homeland Security & Emergency Management does not anticipate significant impacts to the County at this time. The forecast rain early in the week is not expected to significantly raise river levels, while rain later in the week could if too much of falls in the wrong areas. At this time there is too much uncertainty in the forecast to say for sure what any late-week rain impacts will be, but we will continue monitoring and coordinating and will update you as any significant actions occur.
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Thank you Eric Berger: Space City Weather for the graphic showing 7-day rainfall forecasts, for more info about the forecast, read their excellent post: https://spacecityweather.com/yeah-we-have-concerns-about-heavy-rainfall-this-week/
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You can monitor the rivers from the Fort Bend County Homeland Security & Emergency Management Rivers webpage.
International Terminals Company (ITC) Deer Park Fire Updates
Latest InformationÂ
- Regional and state partners are actively monitoring and assessing the situation as a result of the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) multi-tank fire in Deer Park
- The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) continues to actively conduct water sampling and air monitoring
- Based on multiple sources, Harris County Public Health (HCPH) has reported “there continues to be overall a low health risk for the general public”
Links and Other Resources
Harris County Joint Information Center – Deer Park InformationÂ
Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC)Â – ITC’s Deer Park response website with the latest information and press releases
Intercontinental Terminal Company (ITC) – ITC’s response and press releases from March 22, 2019 and earlierÂ
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)Â – Deer Park Fire Updates
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) – Air Quality Monitoring for ITC Fire Incident
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) – Water Quality Monitoring for ITC Fire Incident
Click here to sign up to receive email and text alerts from TCEQ
Social MediaÂ
Check out Facebook and Twitter for more updates
@ReadyHarris
@TCEQ on Twitter @TexasCommissionOnEnvironmentalQuality on Facebook
#DeerParkFire #ITCFire
Updated:Â March 27, 2019
The Brazos still runs muddy like she’s run all along
You might remember from school: water finds the lowest point. In Fort Bend County, the Brazos and San Bernard rivers are among the lowest points in the county, meaning they do a great job at collecting all the rain that falls and moving it to the Gulf of Mexico. The Brazos River is the 11th longest river in the USA, with 1200 river miles upstream from Fort Bend County and all that water will have to pass through us before it drains into the Gulf.
As we’re seeing this week, the Brazos River is doing what nature intended by moving millions of gallons of rain from the storms that moved through Texas yesterday. The National Weather Service hydrograph – the graphical forecast showing river levels – shows the Brazos cresting around 41.5 feet in Richmond next Tuesday.
This forecast includes the recent and expected rainfall and is still well below flood stage; we do not expect any impacts to Fort Bend County at this time. The gauge near Rosharon is forecast to crest around the same time at just over minor flood stage, which should only impact cattle in low areas within the floodplain in the vicinity of the Fort Bend/Brazoria County line. The San Bernard River forecast is similarly minor, but dropping even sooner.
Residents should still avoid aquatic activities in or near the Brazos and San Bernard rivers while they’re running high and fast, as the volume of water draining through them is higher than usual and strong currents could still sweep you away.
As always, for up-to-date information, you can check our Fort Bend County Rivers page at http://fbcoem.org/fort-bend-county-waterways-rivers/.