ST. PAUL, Tx — Recent rain across the Coastal Bend brought a familiar concern for one San Patricio County resident who has dealt with repeated flooding around her home.
But this time, Crissie Godines said things looked much different.
Neighborhood News Reporter Stephanie Molina first spoke with Godines in May after heavy rain left water surrounding her St. Paul property. Molina followed up with her again in July as Godines continued dealing with flooding and searching for solutions to protect her home.
Now, after the latest round of rain, Godines said her property looks much different.
All the dirt work, it's crazy cause usually this would be like all the way underwater, all the way up to the front of the property,” Godines said in a video she sent to KRIS 6 News showing the conditions around her home.
After Molina's reporting, San Patricio County improved the ditches and drainage near Godines' home. She said the work has helped water flow away from her property more efficiently.
While some water still collected in lower areas, Godines said it now has somewhere to go.
“So here's the front of the land, which it looks like a lot of water, but it has somewhere to drain to,” Godines said.
Godines also made several improvements of her own.
She added more dirt around her home, built a berm, and added a pond to help manage water on the property. She said those changes have been a big game changer.
The berm helps prevent water from flowing back onto her property, while water that does collect drains into the pond.
From there, Godines can pump the water into a nearby ditch, which she says is now flowing better following the county's drainage work.
Godines said it would now take days of rain for her home to flood the way it did in the past.
“I'm glad we did the pond. It's really helpful, and the draining, hopefully, it's holding up on that side. I'm pretty sure it is. So it's good. Way better than what it was,” Godines said.
For Godines, the latest rain provided a firsthand look at how the improvements are working, with areas that previously would have been underwater remaining largely clear.