Houston Prepares for Heavy Rain and Potential Street Flooding

City and County Preparations

• 🌧️ Houston Public Works crews are staging barricades at 49 flood-prone locations across the city in anticipation of heavy rainfall.
• 📍 Barricades are already in place at Memorial Drive and Waugh Drive as a precautionary measure.
• 🛠️ Harris County Precinct 4 crews are actively removing debris, clearing inlets, checking ditches, and inspecting storm sewers to prevent street flooding.

Preventing Obstructions

• 🗑️ Residents are urged to secure their belongings, as items like garbage can lids and toys can become obstructions in ditches and storm sewers.
• ⚠️ Even seemingly small items can prevent proper water flow during heavy rain.

Utility and Tree Expert Readiness

• ⚡ Centerpoint Energy is pre-staging crews and equipment, including padmount transformers, across the greater Houston area.
• 🧑‍🔧 They have 1,200 technicians (overhead linemen, vegetation management, underground technicians) ready for rapid response to service interruptions.
• 🌳 Tree experts warn that heavy rain after a dry spell can increase the risk of trees toppling over due to dry, cracked soil that doesn't absorb water properly.

Public Safety and Alerts

• 🚗 The City of Houston has high water and rescue vehicles fueled and ready for deployment if needed.
• 📢 Officials encourage residents to monitor road conditions and sign up for alerts by texting 'ALERT HOUSTON' to 888777.
• 📅 Several events and roadwork projects are being postponed or canceled due to the expected weather.