The Fort Bend County of Emergency Management has changed a voluntary evacuation to a mandatory evacuation order for several subdivisions in the Barker reservoir area.
However, people living in that mandatory evacuation zone should not try to leave until morning, because driving conditions may be unsafe.
The agency's spokesperson said they originally issued a voluntary evacuation but upgraded it to mandatory in order to make sure people living in those areas don't try to return home quite yet.
"It's just not safe to go back there yet," Alan Spears said.
The reservoir has risen to 101.1 feet at this time and imminent flooding is expected in this area, according to the county's emergency management website.
Fort Bend County's unincorporated area is under a curfew from 12:00 AM to 6:00AM and officials say it is best not to travel on these roadways until daylight. They are advising residents to make preparations now to remove all persons and pets out of the neighborhoods.
CANYON GATE – all sections
CINCO RANCH – following sections: Bayou Park Estates, Cinco Forest, Equestrian Village, Fountain View, Greenway Village, Institutional Core, Southpark Meadow Place, North Lake Village, Plaza Subdivision, West Section 7, Willow Fork
GRAND LAKES – all sections
KELLIWOOD – following sections: Courts, Fairways, Greens, Links, Park, Pointe Terrace
RICEFIELD VILLAGE
WILLOW FORK – Greens, Section 1
There is an interactive map on the Fort Bend County OEM website where citizens can type their address and see if they are in a mandatory evacuation area.
If you are a resident in the evacuation zones and you do not have transportation or a place to go you should call Fort Bend Office of Emergency Management at 281-342-6185 and request assistance with the evacuation.
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is currently forecasting a record pool elevation level in the Barker Reservoir several feet above the levels in the Tax Day flood of 2016.
No comments: