HOUSTON (AP) — After the floodwaters earlier this month just about swallowed two of the six homes that 60-year-old Tom Madigan owns on the San Jacinto River, he didn’t think twice about whether to fix them. He hired people to help, and they got to work stripping the walls, pulling up flooring and throwing out water-logged furniture. What Madigan didn’t know: The Harris County Flood Control District wants to buy his properties as part of an effort to get people out of dangerously flood-prone areas. Back-to-back storms drenched southeast Texas in late April and early May, causing flash flooding and pushing rivers out of their banks and into low-lying neighborhoods. Officials across the region urged people in vulnerable areas to evacuate. Like Madigan’s, some places that were inundated along the San Jacinto in Harris County have flooded repeatedly. And for nearly 30 years, the flood control district has been trying to clear out homes around the river by paying property owners to move, then returning the lots to nature. |
Lunar New Year Eve sees over 190 million passenger trips across ChinaWilly Adames calls his shot, hits goVoters demand crackdown on proCambodia welcomes 1st Chinese flight, tourists to Siem ReapCliffs that sport mystical tattoosOlympic champion Ye qualifies for Paris 2024Türkiye's Istanbul welcomes 1st Chinese tourist group after pandemicZhou wants to inspire a new generation of hometown heroesPort city Lianyungang showcases cultural appealWorld champions aim to refresh records in Xiamen