Cynthia Neely used to never worry about the rain, but what she awoke to at her home in the Memorial City area terrified her.
"All I heard was thunder,” said Neely. "I saw lightening and I thought, oh God. Not again. Not again."
Wednesday marked the return of familiar scenes in Houston. High water shut down area roadways and creeped into houses in the Meyerland area.
"It's more than a devastation of property. It's a devastation of your life,” added Neely.
A group called Residents Against Flooding has filed a federal lawsuit against the city, demanding more action be taken to prevent future devastation.
“There's so much that could be done to address it effectively and that's not being done,” said Neely.
But city leaders argue action is being taken. Recently, Houston's Mayor announced the formation of the Storm Water Action Team or SWAT to work proactively on drainage projects to keep the water flowing.
Late last year, the Mayor appointed a flood czar. KHOU 11 News reached out to him several times, but we were referred back to the mayor's office.
"Some of the work has already begun,” said Mayor Turner. “And I think we are seeing some positive results. I never said we could eliminate flooding."
Some people living with the threat of floods are still fearful.
“This was not a hurricane,” said Neely. “It was not a tropical storm. It was just a big rain."
Houston City Council has already approved 10 million dollars in funding for work on some of the projects.
So far, the SWAT team has identified 100 projects that need to get done.