More than 1,000 residents have been rescued from their homes in Friendswood after Hurricane Harvey dropped 24 inches between Saturday and Sunday, according to officials.

Additionally, more than 3,000 homes have been inundated with high water and about 1,000 homes are without power, according to officials estimates. Residents have taken refuge at the city's four emergency shelters: Wedgewood Elementary, Friendswood High School, Calvary Houston church and the Friendswood Activities Building.

The city of Friendswood Office of Emergency Management established a medical triage at the Kenneth Camp Fire Station No. 1 off Whitaker Drive. Due to the inaccessibility of hospitals for patients with medical needs. Some patients may be relocated by the state.

"There is an urgent need for medical supplies, medical equipment, and trained medical personnel at Friendswood High School, where residents of an evacuated nursing home are staying. A request has been sent to the State of Texas to relocate them," said Jeff Newpher, a communications specialist for the city of Friendswood.

Officials have yet to conduct a damage assessment for the city as they continue to move residents from their flooded homes. Most of the water rescues for residents in life-threatening situations were completed early Monday, Newpher said.

"People are still the priority," Newpher said.

All three creeks in the city—Mary's, Cowart and Clear creeks—had rain water overflowing from their banks, causing widespread flooding across the small city of approximately 21 square miles. All roads extending over the creeks experienced severe flooding. And Friendswood stands as a city divided as both the Harris and Galveston counties sides are separated by high water at Clear Creek, according to officials. Once flood waters recede, the city will begin its damage assessment.

All normal city operations are suspended, including jury trials for Friendswood Municipal Court on Wednesday.

The city is preparing to received and distribute donations of food, water and other necessary supplies at the corner of South Friendswood Drive and East Shadowbend Avenue at the former site of the King's Kids Learning Center. The city is collecting donations from outside the city and will begin distribution at the site once flood waters recede.

In Pearland, 250 residents were rescued from their homes as of Monday evening, with the bulk of the rescues occurring east of Cullen Parkway, according to city officials.

Pearland Harvey Water Rescues Aug28 About 250 residents have been rescued from high flood waters. Here are the locations of water rescues across Pearland as of Aug. 28.[/caption]

 

Residents with medical emergencies and those with flooded homes are encouraged to call 9-1-1 for assistance. Residents who only have water approaching their homes are urged not to dial for emergency assistance. Residents are also asked not to report high water on streets as emergency crews are monitoring road conditions.

"We're asking [residents] to stay in place and continue to stay patient as we work on prioritizing residents that need to be evacuated from their home," Anderson said.

An emergency evacuation hub was established at the Pearland Recreation Center & Natatorium, although the center is not taking in self-evacuated residents. The hub is a temporary location to transport residents to emergency shelters outside the city.

Two American Red Cross shelters near Pearland—Dobie High School off lackhawk Boulevard and Living Stone Church in Alvin—were at capacity as of Monday evening.

Pearland will open its first shelter for self-evacuated residents at Pearland High School, 3775 S. Main St., Pearland. The shelter will open at noon on Aug. 29.

 



Damage assessments have not been completed, but Pearland officials expect to begin the process later this week.

"It's going to be a couple more days before we assess damage citywide," Anderson said.

Road conditions have worsened in Pearland as rainfall continues. Some areas have experienced up to 38 inches of since Saturday, Aug. 26. A map of impacted roads and intersections across the city is available here.

PLF high water hurricane harvey pearland aug. 29 Severe flooding has overtaken roads, causing high water conditions and, in some cases, completely impassable roads.[/caption]

PLF high water hurricane harvey pearland aug. 29 legend

Roads that have been impacted include:

  • Bailey Road

  • Barry Rose Road

  • Business Center Drive

  • Country Place Parkway

  • County Road 90

  • Cullen Parkway

  • Dixie Farm Road

  • Hwy. 288

  • Kingsley Drive

  • Kirby Drive

  • Magnolia Crossing Lane

  • McHard Road

  • O'Day Road

  • Old Alvin Road

  • Pearland Parkway

  • Shadow Creek Parkway

  • Southern Trails Drive

  • Southfork Drive

  • Southwyck Parkway

  • Walnut Street

  • West Broadway Street

  • Yost Boulevard


High water conditions across Brazoria County can be monitored here.

Residents who need legal assistance can contact the State Bar of Texas referral service here.

Property owners who have experienced flood and windstorm damage are encouraged to file their claims before Friday, Sept. 1, to avoid changes in the state insurance law.

Hundreds of power outages reported in Pearland, Friendswood
Updated 9:51 p.m., Aug. 27

Hundreds of homes and businesses are experiencing power outages in Pearland and Friendswood as of 9:37 p.m. on Aug. 27, according to Centerpoint Energy's Electric Outage Center.

The highest concentration of outages are in central Pearland off FM 518 at O'Day Road and at Hatfield Road, where 133 and 106 outages were reported respectively. A third concentration of 116 outages was reported south of Bailey Road and east of Harkey Road, according to Centerpoint.

Hundreds of other reported outages are scattered across Friendswood and Pearland.

 



power outages centerpoint energy PLF Hundreds of power outages are reported across Friendswood, Pearland and the Bay Area.[/caption]

Other parts of Pearland experiencing significant power outages include Ashton Park, Briarglen,Magnolia estates, Pine Hollow Estates, Silverlake, Village Grove, north of Lakes of Savannah and near Massey Ranch Elementary School.

power outages centerpoint energy plf legend

Data is available only for the Harris County portion of Friendswood. Nearly 200 outages were reported along Blackhawk Boulevard alone between FM 2351 and FM 528. Additional outages were reported on and around Friendswood Link Road between Blackhawk Boulevard and Clear Creek as well as West Bay Area Boulevard near Heritage Park, according to Centerpoint.

Hundreds of power outages are also reported in the Bay Area, including a concentration of 251 outages at the Regatta Apartments.

 

In the Greater Houston area 68,658 Centerpoint customers are without power, which represents 2.86 percent of customers on the area's power grid, according to Centerpoint.

 

Record floods along Clear Creek overwhelm Friendswood, Pearland
Updated: 5:21 p.m., Aug. 27

Clear Creek, the largest waterway and surface water drainage channel supporting the city of Friendswood, has been overwhelmed by the torrential downpours brought on by Hurricane Harvey over the weekend.

The banks of Clear Creek are inundated by as much as 10 feet of rain in some places, according to data from the Harris County Flood Control District.

More than 23 inches of rain fell in the past 24 hours at Clear Creek and I-45, according to the district. The creek can hold up to six feet of water, but the creek had a stream elevation of 15.55 feet, which is a 500-year flood event, as of 4 p.m. on Aug. 27. The elevation is the second-highest ever recorded along Clear Creek, according to the district.

Clear Creek at FM 528 is also heavily inundated as 21.6 inches of rain fell in the past 24 hours, according to the district. The creek near FM 528 can hold up to 12 feet of water. However, rainfall has pushed the stream elevation to a record-breaking 23.5 feet, which is a 500-year flood event, as of 4 p.m. on Aug. 27.

 



The banks of Clear Creek are also flooded in Pearland.

Nearly 13 inches of rain fell at Clear Creek near Hwy. 288 in the past 24 hours, causing a 100-year flood and inching toward a 500-year flood event. The stream elevation is nearly two feet above the creek's banks, according to the district.

More than 15 inches of rain fell at Clear Creek and Mykawa Road in the past 24 hours, causing the bank to be inundated by about 1.5 feet of rain or a 50-year flood. And Clear Creek at Country Club Drive saw more than 15 inches of rainfall in the past 24 hours. While the banks of the creek are overflowing with nearly 2 feet of rain, the rainfall only caused a 10-year flood event, according to the district.

Emergency shelters are available for residents in need. The American Red Cross has a a shelter in Alvin and a shelter at Dobie High School off Blackhawk Road.

 



Friendswood residents can take shelter at the city's Activities Center at 416 Morningside Drive. Due to the inaccessibility of hospitals, the Kenneth Camp Fire Station 1 at 1610 Harold Whitaker Drive, is being used as a medical triage center, according to city officials.

Both Friendswood and Pearland will begin enforcing curfews between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Pearland roads under water from torrential downpour
Updated 12:56 p.m., Aug. 27

Major thoroughfares and residential roads around Pearland have been inundated by torrential rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, with some becoming impassable.

While some Brazoria County residents are in the mandatory evacuation soon, residents in Pearland are not in an evacuation zone.

 



The city of Pearland published a satellite map of impacted areas so residents can track road conditions. As of 12:19 p.m., the southbound side of Hwy. 288 between Beltway 8 and McHard Road has high water and West Broadway Street between Kingsley Drive and Business Center Drive is impassable due to high water, according to city reports.

Pearland residents in need of shelter can text "Shelter" and their ZIP code to 43362. An American Red Cross emergency shelter is also open at Dobie High School at 10220 Blackhawk Boulevard, Houston, according to official reports.

Here's a list of some affected roadways in Pearland:ArcGIS Pearland rainfall legend

  • Bailey Road between Veterans Drive and Wells Drive - high water

  • Cullen Boulevard between McHard and Hawk roads - high water

  • Dixie Farm Road between Pearland Parkway and Oak Place Court - high water

  • Hwy. 288

    Pearland roads under water hurricane harvey As of 12:50 p.m., major roads were under water or totally impassable due to heavy rainfall from Hurricane Harvey.[/caption]

    between Beltway 8 and McHard Road - high water

  • FM 518 south of Dixie Farm Road to Friendswood city limits - high water

  • John Lizer Road between SH 35 and Pearland Parkway - high water

  • Magnolia Road west of Veterans Drive - high water

  • O'Day Road between FM 518 and Fite Road - high water

  • Old Alvin Road between Orange Street and Jasperstone Lane - high water

  • Pearland Parkway between FM 518 and Magnolia Road - high water

  • Walnut Street between Veterans Drive and Main Street - high water

  • West Broadway Street between Kingsley Drive and Business Center Drive - impassable

  • Woody Road between FM 518 and Orange Street - impassable

  • Yost Road between Dawson Drive and Fortuna Drive - high water


Residents should not call 9-1-1 or the city to report high water conditions on roads or in channels.

"The city of Pearland is aware of floodwater on your streets and in your home," according to a statement from the city. "We are actively working on issues, prioritizing life safety matters. Like the entire region, we have experienced a tremendous amount of intense rain throughout Pearland with the effect of our streets and drainage channels having an overabundance of water in them. We are aware of streets that are impassable and continue to ask people to stay inside and shelter in place, unless absolutely necessary otherwise."

The city of Pearland announced it will begin enforcing a curfew on Aug. 27. Residents are urged to stay at home; the curfew is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Pearland City Council rescheduled its Aug. 28 meeting to Aug. 30 contingent on improved weather conditions.

All city of Pearland facilities will be closed on Monday, Aug. 28.

 









Friendswood received up to 17 inches of rain overnight, homes flooded
Updated: 11:40 a.m., Aug. 27

Over a 24 hour period ending at 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, rain gauges around the city of Friendswood recorded up to 17 inches of rain fall, and homes have reportedly been flooded.

Mary's Creek, part of the city's drainage infrastructure, is at record levels, officials said in a statement, which could hinder further drainage with continued rainfall.

The city has deployed four high water vehicles and rescue boats from Harris and Galveston counties to rescue residents in imminent danger from rising waters.

"If water is rising in your home, seek shelter in your attic," according to a statement from the city. "Take bottled water and if possible, a tool to cut through your roof, should it be necessary."

Only residents in imminent danger are encouraged to call emergency personnel as the city has been flooded with calls.

The city opened a temporary emergency shelter at the Activities Building at 416 Morningside Drive. As of 4 a.m., 51 people were at the shelter, and more were expected to take refuge, according to city officials.

Due to the inaccessibility of hospitals, the Kenneth Camp Fire Station 1 at 1610 Harold Whitaker Drive, is being used as a medical triage center, according to city officials.

Around the Greater Houston area, more than 200 high water spots were reported. Residents are urged to stay off the roads.

Brazoria County judge issues mandatory evacuations for southwest county residents
Updated: 11:20 a.m., Aug. 27

Brazoria County mandatory evacuation zone Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta issued a mandatory evacuation for residents living south of Hwy. 6 and west of Hwy. 288.[/caption]

Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta issued a mandatory evacuation for all residents living south of Hwy. 6 and west of 288 during a Facebook Live video conference at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 27.

The only established evacuation route out of Brazoria County is State Highway 35 westbound near Angleton. The route will go toward Matagorda County. Then evacuees can will take Hwy. 71 northbound to Belton in Bell County where and emergency shelter is ready for residents and their pets. The shelter is the Bell County Expo Center at 301 W. Loop 121, Belton.

 

Official evacuation route for Brazoria County residents.[/caption]

"There are no other evacuation routes out of Brazoria County. State Highway 35 will not be open indefinitely and will be unpassable with additional rains and river flooding. Leave now!" Sharon Trower, public information officer for Brazoria County, said in a statement.

On Friday and Saturday, county officials issued voluntary evacuations for residents living near the Brazos and San Bernard rivers, including East Columbia and Columbia Lakes.


Pearland, Friendswood emergency personnel monitor weather, schools close
Published 10:49 p.m. Aug. 24

The cities of Friendswood and Pearland are under a Tropical Storm Warning in anticipation of a hurricane that is expected to make landfall between Friday and early Saturday, according to statements from city officials.

Although city and county officials across the Gulf Coast are monitoring Hurricane Harvey for further developments, no evacuations are scheduled for residents in Friendswood and Pearland.

"We have no immediate plans for evacuation," said Sparkle Anderson, director of communications for the city of Pearland. "At this time, we are anticipating heavy rain. All of our essential personnel is preparing for the storm and our emergency management coordinator is closely monitoring the situation to keep staff informed."

Alvin, Friendswood and Pearlands ISDs announced plans to cancel school on Friday. No immediate decisions were made about scheduling classes on Monday, Aug. 28, but district officials anticipate making an announcement on Sunday.

Hurricane Harvey is currently a Category 1 hurricane but is expected to strengthen to Category 3 prior to making landfall between Port O'Connor and Matagorda Bay, according to the National Weather Service. The storm could bring 15-25 inches of rain across the Great Houston area over the weekend and into next week, according to the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The hurricane will also bring winds of up to 125 mph and up to 12-foot storm surges for coastal residents, according to Community Impact Newspaper media partner ABC 13. Here is a list of communities that are under mandatory and voluntary evacuation.

In Friendswood, scheduled trash and recycling pick-up will be on schedule for Friday but will be canceled on Saturday. The city's parks and recreation department will cancel activities and close all facilities, including Lake Friendswood, through the weekend.

In Pearland, all parks and recreation facilities will be closed. Trash and recycling services are on schedule for Friday, but Saturday service is contingent on the weather.

Officials are urging residents to secure their property and remove anything that can clog drainage systems.

"We've asked residents to go around their home and clean up things that can float or fly away," said Jeff Newpher, communications specialist for the city of Friendswood.

Are you ready for an emergency evacuation? Click here for our preparedness checklist.