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Harvey victims worry drainage issues could cause flooding

The reason? Nearby Langham Creek is clogged with debris that they worry could cause the water to back up into their homes instead of flowing away into Addicks Reservoir.

Nearly six months after Harvey, some victims in the hard-hit Bear Creek area of west Harris County say they’re worried it’s only a matter of time before their homes flood again.

The reason? Nearby Langham Creek is clogged with debris that they worry could cause the water to back up into their homes instead of flowing away into Addicks Reservoir.

After the storm put five feet of water in Christy Foss’ home of four years, remodeling work is less than a month away from wrapping up.

“Weary, but yeah, we’re excited to be back,” Foss said.

However, Foss says she and her neighbors left in her Bear Creek subdivision are also worried and frustrated over the debris they see clogging up Langham Creek, which borders their neighborhood.

“There are blockages all throughout it,” Foss said. “They found a play pen, like a playhouse, a children’s playhouse in there, and it hasn’t been removed.”

Foss is one of many Bear Creek homeowners that also flooded on Tax Day in 2016.

“Neighbors are scared that when it rains, we’re all gonna flood again,” she said. “Just two weeks before Harvey, we had a heavy downpour, and water was halfway up into the yards.”

Another Bear Creek homeowner recently posted an 11-minute video to Facebook showing downed trees, piles of trash and other debris clogging Langham Creek within the Addicks reservoir.

Richard Long, Supervisory Natural Resources Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates Addicks Reservoir, says Harris County Flood Control District is responsible for getting the water into the reservoir, including de-snagging the creek’s original channel south to Clay Road.

Long says the Corps is still playing catchup on the workload brought on by Harvey.

“We realize they’re looking for answers,” Long said about neighbors’ frustrations on Langham Creek. “We’re working forward on that, trying to get it done as soon as we can. There’s a lot of variables that we have to address to make sure we’re all on the same page with Harris County Flood Control District.”

Long said the Corps is working with HCFCD to get them access into the area, which he says is difficult to access. He also says there are numerous rules and regulations, including environmental, they have to follow.

Long says he does not yet have a timeline for completion. A neighbor told KHOU a HCFCD employee informed him they were aiming to inspect the blockages by mid-week.

Those still rebuilding their homes and their lives after one of America’s worst storms say they just want relief before the next one inevitably shows up.

“We wanna feel safe in our homes,” Foss said. “We don’t wanna feel scared every time it rains.”

Lt. Col. Mark Williford, Public Affairs Chief with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, told KHOU Tuesday that Long told him “he personally led a site assessment team to view the area this morning and contacted the Harris County Flood Control District.”

Lt. Col. Williford also ays citizens can track the progress of the project with HCFCD Citizen Services, which residents can contact through an online form or at (713) 684-4197.

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