Houston Under Water As It Bears Brunt Of Powerful Storm Front [UPDATED]

HOUSTON, TX -- It's no exaggeration to say Houston is submerged in water.

The coastal city got the brunt of powerful storms that began in earnest on Sunday night and continued Monday throughout the state, dumping more than 16 inches of rain in some parts. Many residents were stuck inside their homes, unable to exit as a result of the high water outside.

• Dramatic photos and videos of water rescues and more.

Late Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared Houston's Harris County, along with eight other counties, as disaster areas. The official declaration paves the way for affected residents to receive financial assistance.

The mayor of the nation's fourth-largest city urged residents to stay in place. Still, emergency crews have had to perform more than 150 rescues from low-water crossings.

Late Monday, City of Houston officials confirmed three dead confirmed by the Houston Fire Department in the wake of the flooding.

"The first victim, a male, was discovered by HFD units at 10:45 a.m. at 17133 Imperial Valley Drive," city officials wrote in an advisory. "Although the victim was found inside a vehicle with water, it is unconfirmed whether the death was directly related to the flooding event. Autopsy results by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences will determine the male's cause of death.

"Two additional victims were discovered inside two vehicles at 3605 West Loop South at about 2:40 p.m. today. The flooded vehicle was located underneath the overpass at Richmond Avenue."

Officials said the names of all three victims were not being disclosed pending notification of their deaths to family members.

But even those staying in place didn't fare all that well at home, many trapped in their dwellings and more than 121,000 people without power at one point, according to CenterPoint Energy officials.

Things are likely to get worse before they get better: More rain is expected in the next 72 hours, dumping some 20 inches before it's all said and done.

According to the National Weather Service, Houston will continue to be under a flash flood watch until 7 a.m. Wednesday.

National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Bradshaw provided a breakdown: Some 70 Houston subdivisions flooded, at least two highways -- Interstate 10 (the city's main east-to-west freeway) and Interstate 45 (the major north-south artery) were underwater in the downtown area, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"We've seen those go under water before and they're under water again," Emmett said resignedly.

Social media was abuzz with examples of the storm's aftermath: People risking their safety to leave their homes, only to wade in hip-deep water; KHOU-TV posting photos of mass evacuations from apartment complexes for safer shelters; pictures of people literally swimming to safer ground; ABC 13 showing emergency vehicles not immune to flooding, including a cop car disabled after becoming submerged in water.

One Twitter user posted a picture of an errant alligator found amid a more urban flooded area -- a plausible scenario given some parts of the ecologically diverse Houston terrain, but one that coudn't be immediately authenticated.

Alligators and snakes floating onto neighborhood areas during flooding is not an unprecedented after-effect of flooding in these parts, given the presence of bayous throughout Houston. Weather.com officials have previously reported on such incidents, giving credence to the Twitter user's account in the ongoing storm happening now.

Officials at the Harris County Flood Control District said 13 bayous and creeks were out of their banks.

The Houston Chronicle reports some officials are now comparing this event to Tropical Storm Allison, which had a paralyzing effect on Houston in 2001. It's an ominous comparison, and not one lightly entertained: Tropical Storm Allison had a devastating effect on Houston, displacing some 30,000 residents as 40 inches of rain fell in the course of more than two weeks.

Many in southeast Texas have vivid memories of that June 2001 tropical storm that took place in the midst of the Atlantic hurricane season. Given current conditions in Houston, untold millions of people fear a repeat of that 15-day storm.

More recently, Houston residents recall historic flooding from May 2015 that left at least eight people dead.

School districts and colleges aren't taking any chances, many cancelling classes outright for Monday under threat of flash flooding. The Houston Independent School District -- the state's largest public school district with 215,000 students -- has cancelled classes until further notice.

Forecasters said at about 11:30 a.m. Monday that about an inch to three inches of rain may hit the area during the rest of the day. On Tuesday, up to three more inches of rainfall may be possible.

The Houston flooding has affected not just those on ground level, but those in the air -- or those who had hoped to have taken to the air. Officials at the Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport have been forced to cancel 465 flights since 11 a.m., with 108 more flights delayed.

The downpour prompted the Houston Police Officers Union to issue a blunt message to residents, but accompanied with a dramatic photo of cars stuck in traffic halfway submerged in water: "Don't even try it," HPOU officials wrote on their Twitter post. "Just stay home."

>>> Photos via Houston Police Officers Union, Twitter user "zeze," KHOU-TV, and ABC 13, respectively.