Residents near Trinity River told to evacuate

LIBERTY, Texas (FOX 26) - Liberty County Emergency Management officials are recommending that residents along the Trinity River evacuate as the Trinity River Authority is releasing large amounts of water from the Livingston Dam into the river.

Johanna Black’s family is staying in a camper on higher ground after floodwaters from the Trinity River filled gullies and spilled over County Road 2550 in Cleveland. She's now unable to drive within two miles of her home near the river.

"Not again," said Black. "The year before Harvey, we actually had eight floods.”

Black added that this is the worst flooding she has seen since Harvey. The water is expected to continue rising as the Trinity River Authority is currently releasing more than 86,900 cubic feet of water per second through the Livingston Dam.

"It’s not a slow release," said Liberty County Emergency Management coordinator Crista Beasley-Adams. "It’s a big release they’re doing."

Beasley-Adams also said that rain in the Dallas area has made its way into Lake Livingston, leading to the release of water into the Trinity River.

"With them getting that rain, it’s gonna come towards us, but it takes about ten days for us to see the water from Dallas," said Beasley-Adams.

A text alert from emergency management two days ago let Tracy Fregia know it was time to pack up and leave her home by the river.

"We have all of our lawn mowers, equipment, stuff like that up on trailers, so that should stay dry, but everything in the yard usually floats one way or the other," said Fregia.

Beasley-Adams said many Trinity River area residents like to stay put regardless, and during past floods, they have simply brought out boats to get across flooded roads.

"We ask that if they’re gonna be boating in and out, do it during daylight hours so that if the first responders have to go out, they’ll have daylight hours," advised Beasley-Adams. She added that she does not anticipate that homes will flood at the current stage of water release, but that any new rainfall could change things.