Grimes County dealing with aftermath of extensive rainfall

GRIMES COUNTY, Texas (KBTX) – Grimes County is dealing with the aftermath of extensive rainfall that has taken place since April 28.

The Navasota River has risen 13 feet in the last four days and several Grimes County roads are flooded. The Navasota River under Highway 6 is currently at 193 feet, just 14 feet below the bridge. The river is rising due to the rainfall and the water released from Lake Limestone.

Navasota’s Marketing and Communications Manager, Taylor Hughes, said the river seems to finally be going down.

“At this time there is no immediate threat that it’s going to go over Highway 6, the river is starting to drop so we don’t see any issues,” said Hughes.

The city continues to monitor updates from the National Weather Service and is working closely with TDEM, TxDOT, and Brazos and Grimes counties.

“We tried to put updates out as much as we know and can get to them as soon as possible,” said Hughes.

As of Wednesday, the city says they have no plans to shut the bridge down but they’re not ruling the possibility out.

“We’re just going to continue to monitor and as we know more, we’ll tell our residents but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” said Hughes.

The city of Navasota wants to encourage drivers to travel with caution. They also recommend that the public be aware of animals seeking safety on higher ground away from the flooding.

Hughes said the city of Navasota will keep providing updates on the city’s Facebook page.

Not only is the Navasota River high because of the rainfall, but Grimes County roads have dealt with their own flooding issues over the last several days.

The Grimes County Road and Bridge Department said the county has received upwards of 11 inches of rain over the last several days causing flooding on several county roads.

The Navasota River under Highway 6 is currently at 193 feet, just 14 feet below the bridge.

Jon Steiber, the Grimes County Road and Bridge Department Engineer describes the amount of rain the county received as unprecedented.

The flood waters have caused damage that will have a lasting impact, but the Road and Bridge Department is there to asses the damage and then repair it.

“We’ve been working steadily since April 28 just moving material around on roads trying to get the roads so you can drive on them again. Some people have been completely cut off that we have had to work our way back to over the last few days,” said Steiber. “After that, we figure out what damage has been done and where we need to actually repair the roads, or dig out ditches again, or new ditches, or repair cross culverts that have washed away or bridges that have eroded.”

If you are driving in Grimes County, the Road and Bridge Department encourages you to be cautious and drive safely. If you see barriers up or flood waters on roads, turn around and don’t attempt to drive through the water.

As of Wednesday, there are currently six county roads closed due to flooding including CR 190, CR 403, CR 162, CR 227, CR 102, and the bridge on CR 157 is damaged and has been closed for repairs.

Steiber says the department is recording every single bit of damage that they see as Texas is under a state-level disaster declaration. He said if any members of the public want to take pictures of the damage and send it to the department, that would be appreciated.