It appears the first Harvey-related deaths have now been reported in Fort Bend County, says Sheriff Troy Nehls.
Nehls says shortly after 12:30 p.m., a couple got swept away off Pool Hill Road near Simonton at Bessie's Creek. Family waiting at the scene confirmed the victims were Donnie and Rochelle Rogers.
The sheriff says Rochelle was able to dial 911 and told dispatchers that the family truck was taking on water. They got disconnected, and when dispatchers called back, the truck had washed off the roadway, into a ditch, and then overturned.
"When you haven't seen the sun for three or four days, you get out, and you think, 'Wow, this is nice. It must be over,'" said Nehls. "It's kind a like a rainbow, right? Well, it's not over. The Brazos River is still continuing to rise, we still have many roadways in Fort Bend County that are impassable, and we just caution people that if you're going to travel throughout this county, that you do not go through deep, fast-rushing water."
Tony Henny, Donnie's step-brother, says Rogers knew the roads well and must have made a miscalculation.
"We're just trying to make sense of something that doesn't really make any sense," said Henny. "It just reminds us that life is very, very short and precious. We certainly are feeling a huge loss and a large hole in our hearts right now."
As many as two dozen loved ones waited near the scene as deputies recovered the bodies. They cried and prayed together as investigators gave one daughter a manila enveloped presumably filled with the victims' belongings.
"Donnie and Rochelle were just two wonderful people," said Henny. "They were just the most giving, caring and most loving people. We're all just really at a loss for words."
