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. |
Heidi Klum stuns in black mini dress with sheer panel during the 77th Cannes Film FestivalHarry Dunn, former US Capitol police officer, running in competitive Maryland congressional primaryMigrants storm onto California beach after landing in boat as stunned crowds look onDepleted Blue Jays overcome illness to beat Baltimore: 'This was a huge (expletive) win'Nineties dance music icon, 56, looks like she hasn't aged a daySalma Hayek stuns in a black offA look back at Kelly Clarkson's weight transformation as the singer admits to using a weightJaden Smith and his model girlfriend Sab Zada match in hoodies and trainers for a casual date nightMigration tracking group says 76 million people were displaced within their countries in 2023Czech power company CEZ reports net profit of $592 million in Q1, up by a quarter year