Houston main break causes chaos, strands people in rising water

An 8-foot-wide water pipe ruptured early Thursday in Houston, causing massive flooding throughout the nation’s fourth-largest city and stranding three people who had to be rescued from rising water, authorities said.

“This was a major, major break,” Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters during a news conference after the flooding, which occurred just before noon. “As you can see, it produced a lot of water and it is still producing a lot of water.”

Repairs to drain the pipe that busted open, snarling water pressure for thousands of residents, were expected to take six to eight hours. City officials issued a boil-water notice for affected areas until the fix was completed, Turner said.

A city contractor was performing exploratory work on a water line project in East Houston near the East Loop 610 when soil was moved from the 35-year-old pipe, causing it to erupt.

“Today’s water line break is a reminder of the aging infrastructure that Houston and other major cities face as we work to make improvements each day,” Turner said in a statement.

Firefighters also rescued three people and cleared 12 vehicles caught in the flow of the rushing water. No injuries were reported.

Water stopped flowing from the broken pipe by 8 p.m. Thursday, but not before it forced closure of nearby schools, medical facilities, restaurants and social service providers, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Drinking water in the area was rerouted to other pipes in the system, which was expected to regain pressure throughout Thursday evening. Repair to the ruptured pipe is slated to start early Friday, a Houston Public Works spokeswoman told the Chronicle.

City health officials also warned that the lack of water pressure could increase the risk of bacteria, prompting officials to leave the boil order in effect until further notice, spokesman Erin Jones said.

The water line carried roughly 50 percent of the drinking water in Houston, officials said.

The flooding has also forced widespread closures Friday, including at Harris County courts, all schools within the Houston Independent School District and the University of Houston, the Chronicle reports.