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Expensive equipment left behind in the banks of Buffalo Bayou prior to TS Beta
FOX 26's Tiffany Justice looks into expensive equipment left behind in the banks of Buffalo Bayou prior to the arrival of Tropical Storm Beta.
HOUSTON - Tropical Storm Beta, causing damage all throughout Harris County and Houston, a concerned viewer wrote into FOX 26 after he spotted a construction site that was soon to be underwater.
On-site, two excavators along with a dozer and two tractors, left near the banks of Buffalo Bayou to be fully submerged under floodwaters.
“I’ve never seen them completely submerged like that for that long of time lunch-time yesterday to when it receded today,” said Neil Mathew.
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Mathew, an engineer who does some contracting on the side, came upon the site while grabbing lunch on Tuesday. He says the damage could cost up to $500,000 and he’s troubled by the lack of effort the contracts took.
“Just the lack of effort trying to get it out knowing the storm was has been coming here for like a week. Just how easy it would have been to get them out of the way.”
FOX 26 looked into this viewer's tip and we’ve learned the project site belongs to a non-profit called Houston Parks Board.
They’re currently working to rebuild the area of Buffalo Bayou to is pre-Harvey setup.
The non-profit tells FOX 26 in a statement, "On-site equipment was relocated to the highest elevation on the site. All precautions were taken to keep the equipment dry, but unfortunately, the water levels were higher than expected."
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For Matthew, it was clear if the equipment was left as to be, there would be significant damage.
The non-profit telling FOX 26, the contractors have realized their mistake and have agreed to pay for the damage.