More than 20 million people remain under a flood watch in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas on Sunday.
Harris County, Texas, Judge Lina Hidalgo said Sunday that 224 people and 153 pets have been rescued amid the flooding. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
“Unfortunately, what we saw was basically what we predicted, which was a lot of flooding,” Hidalgo had said Saturday, noting that in some areas, there has been flooding “all the way up to the power lines.”
The east fork of the San Jacinto River crested at 77.8 feet above sea level and the water is still rising on the west fork, according to Hidalgo.
The judge warned that it was too late for residents to evacuate without calling 911.
“We’re not out of the woods yet and a level of uncertainty remains,” Hidalgo said.
Several rivers in the Houston area are at major flood stage, with the Trinity River, located northeast of Houston, likely swelling to its highest level on record Sunday.
Heavy rain is falling over the Houston area late Sunday afternoon and into the evening. At this point, any rainfall is a problem as the ground is fully saturated and waterways are exacerbated.