Nueces County officials pledge action after residents describe repeated flooding; $2.7M drainage study secured

Residents from northwest Nueces County told the commissioners court on July 21 that heavy rains in May and July inundated homes and yards, sometimes within minutes. Daniel Zamora said water entered his house twice in six weeks and identified restricted culverts and smaller replacement pipes as bottlenecks. Patricia Galloway described two fast floods that damaged her home and sharply reduced its marketability.

Emergency management coordinator Melissa Munguia urged neighbors to document losses and upload photos and receipts to the Texas Division of Emergency Management to preserve eligibility for recovery assistance. She said residents should call her office at 361‑888‑0513 or her cell at 361‑533‑2355 for help with documentation. The county stressed those individual records are critical if a state or federal declaration is later approved.

Judge presiding at the session said the county had declared local disasters under Texas Government Code §418 to unlock equipment, pumps and other emergency resources, and announced that the court secured a $2.7 million drainage study to model watershed flows across the area and prioritize projects. The judge and multiple commissioners told residents the county will pursue both immediate “band‑aid” interventions — cleaning culverts and pumping where feasible — and a comprehensive approach that will include civil‑engineering modeling, grant applications and coordination with Corpus Christi, TxDOT and water districts.

Commissioner comments noted some short‑term actions already underway: public‑works crews cleaning ditches and deploying graders, and plans to use federal relief funds and other grant sources to leverage larger projects. Commissioners said they will host a more detailed presentation and invite affected residents back on August 4 to review proposed actions and next steps.

The court approved emergency interlocal agreements and short‑term funding to address critical wastewater and pump needs in nearby WCIDs, and authorized pulling funds from the general fund immediately with the possibility of future reimbursement if federal or state assistance becomes available.