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.
Georgia Republicans choose Amy Kremer, organizer of pro
Ange Postecoglou admits he has not watched back Tottenham's humiliating 6
Georgia Republicans choose Amy Kremer, organizer of pro
Fernando Alonso commits his future to Aston Martin by signing new two
Rotorua MP seeks extra policing resources for the city
Man United are 'playing like a small club', blasts Roy Keane after their 2
Travis Kelce downs whiskey shot on slice of bread at Kelce Jam without Taylor Swift
Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens should never have been police officer