Firefighters and law enforcement officers in the Cleveland area have been working tirelessly Tuesday, April 30, to ensure the safety of residents and motorists amidst ongoing challenges posed by flooding from recent rains.
Throughout Tuesday, these public servants have been engaged in a variety of critical activities, including rescuing stranded motorists from their vehicles, aiding people stranded in their flooded homes, monitoring hazardous roadways submerged in water, and strategically blocking intersections to prevent motorists from falling prey to the swiftly moving East Fork of the San Jacinto River.
In addition to these efforts, firefighters and local law enforcement officers have mobilized to assist residents of the East Fork RV Park with evacuation to higher ground. This same RV park experienced heavy flooding earlier this year in January, prompting another evacuation.
At the scene of the flooding in Cleveland, Fire Chief Sean Anderson has reported that a total of twelve individuals were rescued from their vehicles by emergency services personnel. This includes six people from flooded neighborhoods and another six from the entrance roads of US 59. Chief Anderson emphasized the severity of the situation, highlighting that the water levels have rendered some areas impassable, as evidenced by the stranding of an 18-wheeler in high water.
Two people are lucky to be alive after their vehicle began to be carried away with the water current. They were rescued before the vehicle drifted from the road and under two separate bridges. They also were rescued by firefighters.
According to Chief Anderson, the sudden surge of water caught many off guard, leaving them unprepared for evacuation. Mindy Bortz shared with Bluebonnet News that her parents’ residence on CR 392 experienced a swift rise in water levels, preventing them from rescuing a riding lawnmower and a four-wheeler.
“My mom’s neighbor went to work out at Crossfit in Cleveland early this morning and then came home to shower. Everything was fine when she got home to shower, but an hour later, the water had already come up by a couple of feet,” Bortz said.
According to Bortz, her father blames silt in the San Jacinto River for the intensity of the flooding and believes that nearby sand pits are exacerbating the situation.
The year 1994 holds painful memories for the Bortz family, as they tragically lost their home to flooding back then. Learning from this experience, the family chose to rebuild their residence on 12-foot stilts to mitigate future risks. Despite this precaution, the recent storm and flooding still resulted in the loss of stored items on the ground floor, although the main part of their home was thankfully spared.
Low Water Bridge Road was the site of several high-water rescues and evacuations on Tuesday, Anderson said.
“I couldn’t even tell you how many people we evacuated. From one location, we pulled 12 people out to safety,” he said.
While most of Cleveland proper is high and dry, the roads leading into the city can see high water.
“We say that Cleveland stands for C-Level-Land. We are surrounded by water. During Hurricane Harvey, flooding shut down the US 59 freeway completely. Since then TxDOT has raised the highway. Even so, we still had water over the feeder roads and it was getting up to the main lanes at one point,” Anderson said. “It’s risen about two feet throughout the day today. It’s not supposed to crest until late tonight or tomorrow.”
In light of the current flooding conditions and the threat of more rain later this week, Anderson is emphasizing the timeless advice of “Turn around, don’t drown” for drivers navigating flooded roads.
“If your journey is not essential, please stay home,” he urged.
