Multiple Houses 6 ft Underwater As The San Joaquin River Authority Continues To Release Water

KHOU11 5/2/24: Hidalgo said the river was expected to reach 78 feet above sea level on Friday. That is just 3 feet below where it was during Hurricane Harvey.

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Mandatory and voluntary evacuations were issued on Thursday for several communities near the San Jacinto River as thunderstorms and flooding left the river at a level we haven't seen since Hurricane Harvey.

A mandatory evacuation was issued for residents along the east side of the east fork of the San Jacinto River. On the east side of the east fork are the communities near FM 1485, all the way down to Lake Houston:

These residents were the same people who were placed under a voluntary evacuation on Tuesday.

"We want you out of this area," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. "This is a life-threatening situation. We need you to listen to that message that we are giving."

Hidalgo said the east fork of the San Jacinto River is usually 40 to 50 feet above sea level. On Tuesday, the river got up to 70 feet above sea level due to heavy rain Sunday night into Monday.

Hidalgo said the river is expected to reach 78 feet above sea level on Friday.

"That is just 3 feet below where it was during Harvey," she emphasized.