FIRST LIGHT: Some roads remain underwater after Beta passes through Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — As Beta weakened to a tropical depression and moved out of the area Wednesday, some roads remained underwater in parts of Houston.

In northeast Houston, the area of Homestead and Sam Houston Street was still flooded by sunrise. Trouble spots were also seen along US 59 feeder roads near Beltway 8.

“The problem with this stretch of Homestead is that when you first drive into the water, it’s fairly shallow, but it gets deeper just as the street approaches Sam Houston Street,” ABC13 Reporter Jeff Ehling said Wednesday. “We have seen quite a few drivers decide to turn around and not risk it.”

South of downtown, Highway 288 was opened in both directions around 6 a.m., though high water remained in some spots near the freeway.

“We counted about four cars that were stalled out yesterday and also found a few drivers who pulled over trying to save their cars,” Reporter Charly Edsitty said.

Highway 288 is known for frequent flooding, but a TxDOT project underway is expected to improve drainage in the future.

Stalled vehicles were seen throughout the city, though many had been towed away over the past 24 hours.

If your car was towed, Houston police has a website you can search to find where it was taken.

Along the South Beltway Wednesday morning, the area of Telephone Road, Mykawa Road and Pearland Parkway remained trouble spots due to their proximity to the Clear Creek flood plain.

Clear Creek took on an additional five inches of water in 24 hours.

Parts of the Houston area saw up to 14 inches of rain by Tuesday afternoon and more fell overnight, according to the National Weather Service. One area in Brazoria County got nearly 8 inches of rain in the last two days.

Nearly 100 water rescues were conducted by Houston Fire Dept. personnel since Monday evening, fire chief Samuel Peña said.

While some residents across the region reported homes with water inside near creeks and streams, there was no widespread flooding inside homes and neighborhoods.

“It got really close. I can’t sleep at night because I was checking the water and my family too,” said one resident at a northwest Houston trailer park, where as much as 7 inches of rain was reported.

By daylight Wednesday, the main concern in the city was drivers who attempt to drive through floodwaters that remained.

“Your sedan is not a submarine. Your minivan is not magical. So stay off the roads right now,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said on Tuesday. “Your destination is not worth your life. It’s not worth the life of the first responder that’s going to have to come and rescue you if you drive into high water and are stuck there.”

Beta is forecast to move over Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi later this week, bringing the flash flood risk to those regions.