HOUSTON (AP) — After the floodwaters earlier this month just about swallowed two of the six homes that 60-year-old Tom Madigan owns on the San Jacinto River, he didn’t think twice about whether to fix them. He hired people to help, and they got to work stripping the walls, pulling up flooring and throwing out water-logged furniture. What Madigan didn’t know: The Harris County Flood Control District wants to buy his properties as part of an effort to get people out of dangerously flood-prone areas. Back-to-back storms drenched southeast Texas in late April and early May, causing flash flooding and pushing rivers out of their banks and into low-lying neighborhoods. Officials across the region urged people in vulnerable areas to evacuate. Like Madigan’s, some places that were inundated along the San Jacinto in Harris County have flooded repeatedly. And for nearly 30 years, the flood control district has been trying to clear out homes around the river by paying property owners to move, then returning the lots to nature. |
After 40 years in Park City, Sundance exploring options for 2027 film festival and beyondEthnic Mon groups announce antiDubai rain: Why experts don't think cloud seeding played a roleTaylor Swift fans wait in line for FIVE hours as star launches popSouth Carolina Republicans reject 2018 Democratic governor nominee's bid to be judgeMegan Thee Stallion, Patricia Arquette, and Busy Philipps lead the proNCAA fast tracks rule change to make multiEthnic Mon groups announce antiThe Padres have put pitcher Yu Darvish on the 15Tennessee judge wants more information on copyright before ruling on school shooter's writings