Residents and business owners in the city of Katy continue to recover and conduct repairs from the damage caused by the historic flooding that occurred April 17-18. The heavy rains caused flooding on dozens of streets and neighborhoods in Katy, leaving 107 homes and 25 businesses with an estimated $11 million in damage, city officials said.

“I haven’t seen anything like this. Our roads had become rivers,” said Katy City Administrator Byron Hebert, who has lived in the city for 22 years. “It was shocking when I couldn’t get out of my neighborhood, and I had to put on my hunting waders to walk to the fire station.”

Flooding was particularly bad on several residential streets along Avenue D, including Pecan Lane, Pine Lakes Drive, and Y, 10th and Magnolia streets.

In addition to residential damage, businesses located along Avenue D near Hwy. 90, as well as numerous businesses on Hwy. 90, suffered damage from the floodwater.

The floods have led to a massive cleanup effort as residents and business owners in the affected areas immediately began working to remove soggy carpet, waterlogged furniture and destroyed property, Hebert said.

As the cleanup continued in the weeks after the flooding, massive piles of refuse and scores of trash bags filled with garbage sat in front of homes while workers from the city’s Public Works Department diligently removed the debris with heavy machinery.

Katy Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Brawner said at the May 9 City Council meeting that he had toured flood-affected residential areas, particularly along 10th Street, and that residents were recovering as best as possible.

“They’re so grateful for the work that the public works [department] did in removing debris,” Brawner said. “I’ve heard of some of the costs that are going to be incurred, and it’s astonishing.”

April 18 flooding

The flooding prompted varied responses from both public officials and city residents at the April 25 council meeting.

Some older residents asked the city to devise a way to notify older people of the flood dangers other than via social media, which many of them do not use. Others blamed the flooding on new developments around the city like Cane Island.

Maria Galvez, the city’s emergency management coordinator, described the flooding during the meeting. She also encouraged residents to take action, such as filing damage reports with the city, county and Federal Emergency Management Agency and also cleaning up debris as soon as possible.

“It was pretty amazing. [Water] was [at] historic levels throughout Katy,” Galvez said at the meeting. “Everyone was on high alert and now here comes the water all the sudden. It was something not to be reckoned with.”

Galvez said there were 75 water rescues conducted in the city during the flooding, but thankfully, no lives were lost.

Resident Allen Peterson said at least 18 inches of water from the flooding filled his home on Magnolia Street.

“We had water coming from all directions around the house,” Peterson said. “It got in the home, everywhere. We lost carpet, flooring, walls. We were going to start traveling and had stored some [other possessions].”

Peterson, whose home is in close proximity to the new Cane Island development, said he believes the master-planned community is part of the reason the flooding was so bad in the area around northern Avenue D.

“We all know the more concrete you put out there, it doesn’t go anywhere,” he said. “It just rained too much, too fast. There wasn’t any place for the water to go.”

The cleanup

Katy city engineer David Leyendecker said officials are seeking a way to avoid the problem in the future, including building a 22-acre detention pond north of Town Park Boulevard and west of Katy Hockley Cut Off Road.

“I never thought I’d see a flood like the magnitude we got,” Leyendecker said. “A tremendous amount of water came across Morton Road.”

Hebert said the planned detention pond would help with flood mitigation efforts, and the city is working with engineers and planners to begin the project as soon as possible.

“We are going to get hydroengineers and start doing some studies and get information to look at this and see what we can do,” Hebert said. “The detention pond—it’s in the city limits—we would pay for it with $1.8 million in unissued bonds already approved by voters in 2000.”

As citizens and businesses conduct repairs and recover, assistance from FEMA is a large part of the process.

Katy Mayor Fabol Hughes signed a declaration of disaster April 19 indicating the city had suffered “severe damage” resulting from flooding.

FEMA has also granted requests to add Harris, Fort Bend and Waller counties to the official list of counties eligible for aid under the federal disaster declaration.

The declaration means residents can now apply for grants for individual assistance from FEMA to help pay for the necessary repairs.

Darrell Habisch, a spokesperson for FEMA, said the amount of money a person can receive depends on how much damage he or she suffered from the floods. The maximum amount that could be granted is $33,000, he said.

“Everything is on a case-by-case individual basis,” Habisch said. “The first thing you have to do is make an insurance claim. We urge everyone to register with FEMA, then we can look at it. Registering opens up all of that assistance.”

Habisch said one critical element for anyone seeking assistance from FEMA is to register with the agency immediately.

“It’s really imperative they get out now and register,” he said. “Once a claim is made, we send an inspector and they make a [damage] assessment.”

Grant funds can be used for anything related to flood damage, including home repairs, new furniture or personal possessions, rental assistance, and automobiles, he said.

There is also a version of unemployment insurance available, Habisch said.

“Perhaps not only did you lose your job, but your car was flooded and you can’t get  get to work,” he said. “Or, your workplace was flooded and you can’t work—whatever those reasons may be [to need aid].”

Habisch said residents who have flood insurance could be eligible for FEMA assistance and, he stressed the need for affected residents to file an application for a Small Business Association loan—even if they do not own a business.

“Fill out the loan application,” he said. “It could help with replacement of personal items.”