Trinity County still recovering after days of flooding

TYLER, Texas (KETK) – With more rain headed to parts of East Texas, Thursday morning KETK checked in with Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace to see how storm recovery efforts are going so far.

Trinity County is still recovering from the excessive rainfall that came through about a week and a half ago, leaving parts of the county underwater.

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“We’ve never had 24 inches of rain in two days before,” said Wallace.

After officials issued mandatory evacuation notices for Doug Bell Road and the Deer Run subdivisions, county officials on boats went door-to-door to rescue residents and their pets from the hardest-hit areas.

Even days later, some Trinity County residents are displaced.

“We are still waiting for the water in the Doug Bell Road subdivisions. They still do not have access to that location as the roads are still underwater and so are the houses,” said Wallace.

Wallace explained residents in the Deer Run subdivision were able to get access back into their houses, but Doug Bell Road residents still have water in the way.

“As soon as the lake goes down, that’s what’s causing the flooding there,” Wallace said. “The floodwaters not to be able to recede because the dam is open and they’ve got the water going out as fast as they can let it out.”

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They are hoping that water levels, which Wallace said are the highest he’s seen in his lifetime, will go down by early next week. In the meantime, Wallace explained home and business owners with damage must report it to the Texas Department of Emergency Management.

“I mean everything they have inside their house is destroyed– most of the houses have water inside that’s three, four-foot deep. You got mold growth. All your clothes, your furniture your everything that’s got wet, its molding and mildewing now,” said Wallace.

Officials are asking residents to fill out the self-report survey on TDEM’s website to submit damages and losses to your property.

As for the rain, Wallace said he expects waters to go down as long as the forecast stays dry. As waters recede, they can continue the storm recovery process.

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