New rain expected in flooded Houston

HOUSTON, June 20 (Reuters) Floodwaters closed major highways in Houston on Monday and forced residents from their homes as waterways overflowed their banks, and forecasters said new storms overnight could bring even worse flooding.

Although the flooding eased yesterday afternoon with a pause in the heavy rains, the relief may only be temporary.

''If we do get the amount of rainfall that's expected, you can and probably should expect major flooding,'' Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for Harris County Emergency Management told Reuters.

The National Weather Service predicted thunderstorms could return to the Houston area and continue until midday today, dumping another 5-10 inches (13-25 cm) onto the already water-logged ground.

Up to 11 inches (28 cm) of rain have already fallen in parts of the city, flooding southern and eastern neighborhoods and closing several major highways, including a key artery running through Houston's ''refinery row.'' By early afternoon, the immediate flood threats from several of the bayous, or natural waterways, that crisscross the city appeared to be waning as water levels dropped.

Earlier yesterday, several people were rescued from flooded homes and cars, and the city of South Houston declared a state of emergency.

Television news showed footage of several people on the roof of a building that had flooded, although water levels that had reached two to three feet (60-90 cm) on some streets in that area had started to recede.

Four shelters had been opened to accommodate residents driven from their homes, but no fatalities have been recorded due to the flooding.

City officials were working to prepare emergency crews to fan out across the city ahead of a potential deluge in the coming hours.

''All we can do right now is preposition our high water rescue teams,'' Cornelius said.

Witnesses said state highway 225 was closed earlier in the day because of high water, although disruptions to refineries along it appeared to be minor.

A refinery owned by French Total in nearby Port Arthur was forced to trim operations because of flooding, the company said.

Local utility CenterPoint Energy Inc said 18,000 customers lost power overnight as widespread lightning interfered with power lines. About half those customers were restored by mid-morning, spokeswoman Alicia Dixon said.

REUTERS PDS BST0512