Time-Lapse Footage of Elm Grove Flood: Three Hours Boiled Down to 20 Seconds
Time-lapse, security-camera footage supplied by Jeff Miller, an Elm Grove resident, shows dramatically how quickly Imelda piled up in the streets of Elm Grove. This video covers from 8 a.m to 11 a.m. – compressed into twenty seconds. Note how the water starts out clear. Then, at 10:10 a.m., it turns muddy brown, starts swirling, and quickly fills up the street, his driveway, and some neighbor’s homes across the street.
The Instant the Water Changed Color
This video clearly shows a sudden influx of water from somewhere other than the sky. It fixes the time at which Woodridge Village’s S2 detention pond overflowed into the streets of Elm Grove. Miller lives one block south and three blocks west of S2. That means the water probably overtopped the banks of S2 around 10 a.m., allowing about 10 minutes for travel time.
At 10:54 that morning, Nancy Vera who lives immediately south of the Woodridge Village S2 detention pond and whose house backs up to Taylor Gully, says that:
- She had a foot of muddy water in her house
- Her back yard was dry
- Taylor Gully was still within its banks.
About this time, Allyssa Harris was shooting video of water streaming directly out of Woodridge Forest and streaming down Village Springs.
Perry Homes Et. Al. Drag Own Reputations Through Mud
Perry Homes, its subsidiaries and contractors dragged their own reputations through the mud. They have been stonewalling discovery in the case against them by more than 200 plaintiffs. In fact, they have sued the plaintiffs.
The District Clerks office does not show that Judge Lauren Reeder has yet ruled on the motion to compel discovery brought by hundreds of plaintiffs in lawsuits filed by Spurlock and Webster.
Harris County Attorney Now Authorized to File Suit Against Bad Actors
One encouraging sign Tuesday: Harris County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a motion that authorized the County Attorney to file suit against bad actors who don’t comply with regulations and cause downstream flooding. Frankly, I find that encouraging.
I think they just sent a shot over the bow of Perry Homes. Call the County Attorney tomorrow or send him links to related posts on this site.
These are my thoughts on matters of public opinion and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP statute of the great State of Texas.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/25/2019 with video from Jeff Miller and Allyssa Harris
757 Days since Hurricane Harvey and six days since Imelda