The Fort Bend County Commissioners Court extended a declaration of emergency June 3 for two more weeks. The declaration must be in place in order for uninsured residents to claim flood damages and receive state and federal support. Heavy rains have elevated the Brazos River up to 54.81 feet with the river’s crest at 55 feet and excess water causing street flooding and damage to homes and businesses, County Judge Robert Hebert said. The Commissioners Court first declared a state of emergency May 28, putting it into effect for seven days before requiring a renewal. “We’re going to have a number of claims,” Hebert said. “There’s a lot of damage out there.” He said homes and businesses across the county would suffer millions of dollars in property damage. “We’ll continue to extend [the declaration] while we’re in recovery so that we keep the qualifying period,” he said. “The emergency defines the period of time in which people can identify damage that they can claim.” Hebert said 20 percent of the county is flooded and the water has impacted about 40,000 residents. “We have over 70 roads still closed and that number—hopefully if we don’t get rain—will slowly come down,” he said. Hebert said as of June 2, about 360 homes were reported to have high water in them. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to set up an office in the county soon after the Memorial Day weekend floods, he said. “We do know that they are discussing locations right now,” Hebert said. “They have to enter an agreement to rent a location.” The Greater Houston area is in a flood watch until 7 p.m. June 4, according to the National Weather Service.