Floodwaters swamp midtown parking garage

A man takes photos of cars as they sit in the Calais at Cortlandt Square apartment's parking garage after it flooded, Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, in Houston. A man takes photos of cars as they sit in the Calais at Cortlandt Square apartment's parking garage after it flooded, Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, in Houston. Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Floodwaters swamp midtown parking garage 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

A newly arrived Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, man got a rude welcome to Houston on Friday morning after heavy downpours swamped the lower floor of a parking garage at his mid-town apartment complex.

David Marra, 23, woke up with other residents at the Calais at Courtlandt Square apartments at 3210 Louisiana to find their cars nearly submerged in about 4 feet of water in the below-ground level parking area.

Marra and the others stared in disbelief as the floodwaters in the garage settled around and inside the cars parked there.

"This is one of the worst things that could happen," Marra said. He had just moved to Houston three weeks ago from Pittsburg to start a new job in sales. His car, a Nissan Altima, was brand new. Now, he said, water covers it up to the headlights.

"This is not how I wanted to start my career in Houston," Marra said.

According to the National Weather Service, thunderstorms rumbled through the Houston region overnight, dumping up to 7 inches of rain in some spots. Most areas inside the 610 Loop recorded between about 2 inches and 6 inches.

The heavy rain was only part of what led to street flooding in the area, said Brian Kyle, a meteorologist with the Weather Service. Kyle said the downpours fell so fast that drainage systems likely were overwhelmed. Some spots, he said, recorded about 4 inches of rain an hour.

"It was extememly high rainfall rates," Kyle said.

Kyle said no residential flooding had been reported, but street flooding was common when the storms moved through area. Areas between the Hardy Toll Road and the Eastex Freeway near Aldine-Westfield recorded about 6.5 inches of rainfall during the storms.

Drew Harrison, 24, lost some of his wedding shower gifts in the flooded apartment complex parking garage. He said they were in his car that sat in about 4 feet of water. His wedding is scheduled for early Septmember and he planned to move out of the complex when his lease expires in a few weeks. He expects to pick up the keys today for his new apartment in the Heights where he'll begin his married life.

Harrison looked on the bright side of his ruined wedding shower gifts, which he hoped to salvage, and his water-logged car, a 10-year-old Mazada.

"I needed a new car," he said.

Other residents were stunned but accepted the situation philosophically.

"It's crazy," said 26-year-old Logan Theriot, who moved into the complex three weeks ago. "It's one of those freak accidents."

Staff at the complex declined to comment about the flooding.

The below-ground level parking garage at Pearl Midtown, an apartment complex at 3101 Louisiana near the Calais at Courtlandt Square was also flooded. The complex had recently opened, however, and no cars appeared to be parked in that part of the garage.

Officials with Pearl Midtown could not be reached for comment.

Landscaping mulch washed from flower beds littered sidewalks and curbs. But other buisnesses in the area appeared to have escaped flood damage. One building had some debris in its courtyard, but no water.

Back at the Calais at Courtlandt Square apartments, new-Houston resident Marra said he was uncertain what his next step would be.

"I'm at a loss right now," he said.