Meyerland community relieved by Brays Bayou improvements
MEYERLAND - Bloated by Beta’s downpour, Brays Bayou west of Loop 610 is so far containing every gallon the tropical storm has dropped.
In the Meyerland area, where many residents endured three floods in the last four years, the reaction is one of relief and gratitude that a half-billion-dollar effort known as Project Brays is finally delivering better protection.
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“I think it worked because normally this would all be high water with the amount of rain we had in such a short time, so I believe this project has been very successful,” said longtime resident Peggy Lannigan.
When Bray’s Bayou couldn’t contain Hurricane Harvey’s torrential downpours, Lannigan’s home filled with water.
“Oh, I don’t want to go back there. It was very traumatizing, post-traumatic stress, yes,” said Lannigan.
This part of Houston is City Councilmember Abie Kamin’s District and for her, there is no bigger concern than rising water.
“The area is certainly flood weary. It’s not just Harvey. It’s Memorial Day. It’s Tax Day, it’s all the different floods. Right now we are cautiously optimistic,” said Kamin.
That said, Kamin believes post-Harvey widening of the Bayou and the construction of multiple retention ponds have generated improved protection.
“Project Brays I think has done a great job expanding the capacity. We also have the South Braeswood detention basins, 12 million gallons of new water that that basin can hold,” said Kamin who pledged more flood mitigation projects are coming.
Less than a mile away, Peggy Lannigan said seeing the impact of the work thus far has made her a believer.
“We are standing on cement, normally we wouldn’t see the sidewalks. I feel so much better about this. This project has worked, I truly believed it worked,” said Lannigan.
Kamin cautioned that with more rain expected from Beta, the threat of flooding remains real.