east loop flooding

Here are the Houston schools and businesses closed due to the massive 610 East flood

Massive 610 East flooding has affected the Greater Houston area.

Photo courtesy of ABC13

Houston schools and businesses are closing due to a massive water main break on the 610 East Loop. Neighborhoods including Midtown, Montrose, The Museum District, The Heights, the Memorial Park/Rice Military area, and Timbergrove have been experiencing water shortages.

The city will be under a boil water notice through at least the rest of the day Friday, February 28.

Also, Houston Independent School District campuses will be closed Friday.

The water main break was reported near Fidelity and North Carolina around noon. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that water flowed to the East Loop and the Ship Channel Bridge.

Houston TranStar is asking drivers to avoid I-610 between I-45 Gulf Freeway and SH-225. Also, all mainlanes of the East Loop at Clinton is shut down in both directions.

In addition to high water, Houston Public Works has received reports of low water pressure across a large portion of the city and is asking the community to conserve water in the area. Many businesses are experiencing a water outage, which has forced some of them to close. Mayor Sylvester Turner has advised that restaurants without water should close.

All Harris County buildings located downtown are closed until further notice. Voting locations at HCC - Southeast, Texas Southern University, and Young Library have been closed.

Here is a list of businesses and school closings in the Houston area:

HISD schools
University of Houston
Texas Southern University
Port Houston's Executive Office at the Turning Basin
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is implementing emergency response measures.
Sunset Heights Clinic
Monroe Clinic

A number of restaurants throughout Montrose, River Oaks, downtown, EaDo, Rice Village, Midtown, and the Museum District have closed for the evening due to low water pressure. The list below isn't comprehensive. Diners are encouraged to call a restaurant in those neighborhoods before visiting tonight.

Georgia James and The Hay Merchant
Rosie Cannonball
Politan Row
Ramen Tatsu-ya
Weights + Measures
Lucille's
Good Dog Houston (Montrose location only, Heights remains open)
Brasserie 19
Relish Restaurant & Bar
Indianola, Vinny's, and Miss Carousel
Nancy's Hustle
Dak & Bop (Museum District location only)
Traveler's Table
UB Preserv
Eunice
Night Heron

Houston Public Works released the following statement regarding the matter:

"The City of Houston is responding to a Major Water Main Break in east Houston, near 610 and Clinton Drive. Houston Water is asking drivers to avoid the area. Houston Public Works has received reports of low water pressure across a large portion of the City. Houston Public Works asks the community to conserve water in the area (turn off sprinklers, avoid watering outdoors or washing cars, etc).

Valve contractors are in the area to isolate the break and make immediate repairs. Once the valves are closed, pressure should be restored. Houston Public Works will continue to update the community as repairs are made.

A City of Houston contractor was onsite doing exploratory work for a City of Houston water line project. When soil was moved from the line, the 96-inch water line burst."

---

For more on this story, including live coverage and video, visit our content partner, ABC13.

traffic

Stretching the budget

A $100,000 salary in 2026 goes further in Houston than it did last year

Photo by Leo Yao on Unsplash

$100,000 stretches a little further in 2026.

A 2026 income study has good news for big earners in Houston: A six-figure salary goes further than it did last year.

A Houston resident's $100,000 salary is worth $84,840 after taxes and adjusted for the local cost of living, according to the new financial analysis from SmartAsset. That's about $1,500 more than Houstonians were bringing home last year.

The 2026 take-home pay is about eight percent higher than it was in 2024, when the same salary had an adjusted value of $78,089.

SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 in 69 of the largest American cities. The figure was then adjusted for the local cost of living (which included average costs for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services). Cities were then ranked based on where a six-figure salary is worth the least after applicable taxes and cost of living adjustments.

Houston ranked No. 60 in the overall ranking of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the least. If the rankings were flipped and the cities were ranked based on where $100,000 goes the furthest, that places Houston in the No. 10 spot nationwide.

Manhattan, New York remains the No. 1 city where a six-figure salary is worth the least. A Manhattan resident's take-home pay is only worth $29,420 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living, which is 3.10 percent lower than it was in 2025.

SmartAsset determined Manhattan has a 29.7 percent effective tax rate on six-figure salaries. Meanwhile, the effective tax rate on a $100,000 salary in Texas (based on the eight cities examined in the report) is 21.1 percent. It's worth highlighting that New York implements a statewide graduated-rate income tax from 4-10.90 percent, whereas Texas is one of only eight states that don't tax residents' income.

Oklahoma City, No. 69, is the U.S. city in the report where a $100,000 salary stretches the furthest. A six-figure salary is worth $91,868 in 2026, up from $89,989 last year.

This is the post-tax value of a $100,000 salary in other Texas cities, and their ranking in the report:

Plano (No. 27): $72,653
Dallas (No. 47): $80,103
Austin (No. 53): $82,446
Lubbock (No. 59): $84,567
San Antonio (No. 62): $86,419
El Paso (No. 67): $90,276
Corpus Christi (No. 68): $91,110

According to the report, getting some "financial breathing room" by making six-figures really depends on where someone lives and what their lifestyle is. For residents living in the 42 states that levy some amount of income tax, their take-home pay dwindles further.

"And depending on how taxes are filed, reaching a $100,000 income may push a household from the 22 percent to 24 percent marginal tax bracket," the report's author wrote. "Meanwhile, locations with high costs across housing and everyday essentials may be less forgiving to a $100,000 income."

smartasset income finance six figures