Storm-stranded Nova Scotian braces for more Harvey flooding

A Nova Scotian hunkering from tropical storm Harvey in Texas says she's got an axe and a ladder to escape from her house should the floodwaters flow through her bungalow.

Heather Collier-Sampson grew up in Halifax and moved to Houston 26 years ago. On Tuesday she told CBC News that the major storm has passed her area, but the danger now lies in overflowing lakes, bayous and reservoirs.

"We are actually about five to six miles east of one of the major reservoirs," she said. "In fact, when I was watching the local news earlier, they said one of the reservoirs has lost its gauge for measuring the capacity and the one that's closest to us, they think that gauge may give way, too. So they have the army corps of engineers trying to come up with a solution to that."

No easy escape route

She and her husband, plus their three big dogs, are staying home for now.

"All the major highways out of Houston are impassable. There are certain areas that you cannot get through, so nothing can get out or come in apart from emergency personnel," Collier-Sampson said.

When an area floods, it takes less than an hour to fill a home, she said. She's prepared to wait a few days or even weeks before things get back to something like normal.

Collier-Sampson has a ladder and axe ready in case she has to escape to or through the roof.

'It's frightening to say the least'

"The rain continues to come and go in squalls. Every break we get, we just thank God, because it gives it time to drain down," she said. "We also have a pool in our backyard and my husband has been out to drain the pool eight times — six to seven inches at a time.

"We made the decision that rather than hit the road and possibly drown in your vehicle — because you really don't have anywhere to go and that water accumulates really fast — we decided to stay home with our animals."

She said the local meteorologist reported that the rainfall in her county in the last four days would keep Niagara Falls cascading for 15 days. Her Nova Scotia upbringing didn't prepare her for such a deluge.

"I grew up in Halifax and snowstorms were our biggest thing to deal with. When you're dealing with water that can come in and inundate you within a matter of minutes and hours … it's frightening to say the least."