Imelda takes its toll on Matagorda County

Parts of Matagorda County are bracing for potentially more rainfall after they were one of the worst areas hit by Tropical Storm Imelda. 

County officials said the city of Sargent received more than 20 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. As of Wednesday evening, many neighborhoods were still flooded and some streets, impassable. Residents say they hope the worst has come and gone. 

“There’s water everywhere. It’s terrible. Hopefully it’ll let it dry out a little bit before we get anymore. Let the water go down,” said Kenne More.

Matagorda County officials said the storms poured more than a foot of rain overnight. 

Kathleen Connolly said the aftermath seems worse than Hurricane Harvey. 

“Our property’s the first one down here when you turn the corner. It’s been under water since 3 o’clock this morning,” Connolly said. 

“Harvey wasn’t even this bad. It really wasn’t. Our entire awning is gone. It snapped it in half. We didn’t really sleep at all. It was really rough. It was rocking our entire trailer,” Connolly continued.            

Matagorda County Precinct 6 Constable Bill Orton said first responders had to conduct several welfare checks on the elderly overnight. 

“There are numerous houses that are flooded on lower levels down here so if we get more water on top of that, there’s no telling how high the water will get in some of these homes,” Orton said.

With no telling how deep flood waters run, Orton strongly urges folks to stay off the streets if possible.

“It’s not safe to drive through the water. As they say, turn around don’t drown. Just stay put, be safe and hopefully we’ll get through this and without any incidents,” Orton said.

Matagorda County officials said they’ll continue to keep a close eye on the conditions as the night progresses.