Texas residents sue over water release during Harvey

VIDOR, Texas – More than 120 Southeast Texas residents have signed on to a federal lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers illegally took their property when it released water from a reservoir and a dam during Hurricane Harvey flooding their homes.

The residents of Orange County, about 95 miles (152 kilometres) east of Houston, say the Corps released water from a dam on the Neches (NAY’-chis) River and from the Sam Rayburn Reservoir on Aug. 30.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims says the houses had no flooding during heavy rain for the two days before that. Some residents say water from the release rose to the edge of their roofs.

The Corps of Engineers had not filed a response as of Thursday.