Trinity River on the rise, residents in low-lying areas advised to prepare

A severe weather system swept through the region Sunday, unleashing torrential rains and ferocious winds that toppled trees and caused flooding to low-lying areas.

According to Bill Hergemueller, coordinator of the Liberty County Office of Emergency Management, the overnight rainfall totals for Liberty County are 5 to 9 inches, depending on the area of the county.

As of 11 a.m. Monday, April 29, the Lake Livingston Reservoir is discharging water through the dam at 95,880 cubic feet per second with a lake elevation of 133.47 feet. Discharge will remain at that rate until conditions improve.

During Hurricane Harvey, the water level at the Trinity River Bridge in Liberty was 32.7 feet. With this current storm, the level is expected to reach 31.9 without any additional rainfall.

“We are expecting high water in our low-lying communities up and down the Trinity River,” said Bill Hergemueller, coordinator of the Liberty County Office of Emergency Management. “We are asking the public to take steps and precautions. You might think about going ahead and leaving your home, and getting to higher ground if you live in one of these low-lying communities.”

The storm Sunday night is also believed to have sparked a house fire on CR 2184. Hergemueller said it is believed that lightning struck the house and started a fire. Another fire in the Plum Grove area may have been caused by lightning, but the exact cause is still under investigation. No injuries were reported.

For more information, contact the Emergency Management Office for Lake Livingston at 936-365-2292. The portion of the Trinity River Basin affected includes areas south of the FM 3278 Bridge. The West Gulf River Forecast Center has received the updated discharge information. Please visit their site for updated forecast information https://www.weather.gov/wgrfc/.

You can monitor the release rate at the Lake Livingston by going online to https://lakedata.traweb.net/

More rain is in the forecast this week, said Hergemueller, which will only enhance the flooding in low-lying areas.

“Any additional rainfall is not our friend,” added Nat Holcomb, Cypress Lakes VFD chief and assistant fire marshal.