LIVINGSTON, Texas — Heavy rains continue to create havoc and cause headaches near Lake Livingston and the Trinity River.
The Lake Livingston Dam gates were opened late Wednesday afternoon, releasing nearly 74,000 cubic feet per second. Officials say the lake had risen by nearly two feet since Sunday because of all the rain.
San Jacinto County officials are expecting the Trinity River to rise rapidly, so they issued a disaster declaration and urged residents who live below the dam to evacuate.
"We communicate consistently to coordinate with everyone down stream -- Polk, San Jacinto, Liberty county -- at every change of discharge," Lake Livingston Project Emergency Management Coordinator Rick Davis said. "We also coordinate with the county sheriff's office so they're all aware of the discharge and they're all aware of the areas prone to flooding."
In Polk County, heavy rains washed away some roads and emergency repair crews worked all day to fix them.
A big hole opened up on Crystal Lakes West near Highway 190, which is the only way in and out of the Livingston subdivision by the same name.
Crews got out to the spot at around midnight and have continued to work on it through the day. At this point, there’s no timeline on when it’ll reopen.
"Hopefully, we’ll get this going by this evening but I make no promise on that," Precinct 4 Road and Bridge Commissioner Jerry Cassity told us.
The American Red Cross set up a shelter for residents who can't get to their homes at the Dunbar Gym at 1103 Dunbar St.
Crews used ATVs to check on people in the subdivision and see if they wanted to evacuate to the shelter but most chose to stay put.
"They all had voluntarily evacuated if they wanted, they chose to stay right now," Cassity said. "But if they call us, we will come and get them if they want to evacuate."
Cassity said a beaver dam may have blocked the drainage under the road, causing the collapse. He said that's what caused other roads in the area to wash away.
Emergency officials are urging residents to slow down and use extra caution on the roadways.
"Most of the people from up here, they know with this wet weather, watch for low crossings, slow down," Cassity said. "That’s the main thing, is slow down and just be weary of it."