Temporary shelter provided to Lake Rockwall Estates flood victims

Photo from the Rockwall Adoptions Facebook page showing the flooding at Sunfish Road and Lakeside Drive in the Lake Rockwall Estates subdivision. According to a recent Facebook post by Rockwall Adoptions, the registered 501c3 animal shelter is offering safe keeping housing for any animal/species in need at no cost to the families affected by the floods for a week or until further arrangements can be made.

(ROCKWALL, TX — February 23, 2018) The community continues to lend a helping hand to Lake Rockwall Estates residents forced to evacuate their homes after heavy rains overflowed the neighborhood lake.

The City of Rockwall and Rockwall County Helping Hands have teamed up to help provide temporary shelter for the affected families.

“Currently, we are putting 20 affected families in hotel rooms for the next week to 10 days while they can assess the needs for each home and what the future will hold for their homes,” said Tiffany Olson with Rockwall County Helping Hands. “Along with this, the Assistance and Referral Center will work with each family and local companies to see how Disaster Relief Funds can help to meet individual needs once the water recedes and the full extent of damage is known.”

According to a recent report from the City of Rockwall, all affected homes are located in the 100-year flood plain of the neighborhood, which was developed in the 1960s. The report states that many of the homes in the area have not flooded but are subject to potential flooding once Lake Rockwall reaches capacity.

Per the report, time estimates from the Kaufman-Van Zandt-Rockwall Soil and Water Conservation District anticipate the flood waters in Lake Rockwall receding in 10-14 days, barring additional rainfall.

Current forecasts show an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms later tonight and a 90 percent chance for storms on Saturday morning.

Families evacuated by the flooding are encouraged to contact Rockwall County Helping Hands for assistance by calling the agency at 972-771-4357. Those who would like to assist with the flooding relief effort may donate to the Helping Hands Disaster Relief Fund at rockwallhelpinghands.com/disaster-relief.

By Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News.

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