Five Feared Dead as Floods Sweep Texas
August 29, 2017 in News by RBN
- At least five people have been reported dead in Houston and from Aransas County as of Sunday night
- The Category 4 hurricane has been downgraded to a tropical storm but the fresh concern is flooding
- In Houston, residents are climbing to their attics to escape rising flood waters in the floors below
- Emergency services completed more than 1,000 rescues across the state overnight on Saturday
- Galveston County estimates that up to 1,200 officials were rescued from their region on Sunday
- Dallas announced it aims to open a ‘mega-shelter’ for 5,000 evacuees by Tuesday morning
- One woman’s body was seen floating down the street and entire coastal communities have been wiped out
- The National Weather Service predicts another 50 inches of rain will fall and tornado warnings are in place
- FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said it would take several years to recover from Harvey
- Donald Trump celebrated the response from emergency services who have so far rescued thousands
- He vowed to visit the state once it was safe and said the ‘good news is there is talent on the ground’
- Local authorities say the catastrophe is only now unfolding and others warn the agony has ‘just begun’
The flood of a lifetime has hit Texas after the violent winds of Hurricane Harvey began to die down, with the state expecting another 50 inches to pour down upon the region in record-setting precipitation.
The destructive path of the hurricane began to take shape on Sunday, with a striking collection of aerial photographs laying bare its damage for the first time.
Highways lay submerged in water where abandoned cars bobbed alongside rescue boats taking residents to safety, as Galveston County estimates up to 1,200 people had to be rescued from the ‘life-threatening’ waters.
At least five people are dead and dozens are injured after 130mph winds and unprecedented floods swept through the southeast pocket of the state on Friday and Saturday.
There is even more rain on the way – a record-setting 50 inches – and emergency response teams have been stretched to their limit as the state was hit with 11 trillion gallons of water, according to reports.
On Sunday, as thousands fled their homes in kayaks and swam through the watery streets, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, revealed it would take the area years to recover from the storm which is the worst this decade.
Harvey has been downgraded from a Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm but its threat is still imminent. Authorities are now fearing its second deadly phase – the floods.
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An aerial photograph reveals the huge swathes of flooded land in Houston, Texas on Sunday. Hurricane Harvey blustered through the town on Friday and Saturday, bringing with it unprecedented downpour and triggering life-threatening floods
Rockport was one of the worst hit coastal towns by the Category 4 storm. Hurricane Harvey blustered through the town on Friday and Saturday, bringing with it unprecedented downpour and triggering life-threatening floods
A shocking view of Aransas County on Sunday shows chunks of roads lying underwater and buildings almost submerged
Aerial footage in Aransas County, which sits along the coast, was ravaged with wind and rain over the weekend and is now swamped
Houston’s tall sky scrapers were among the only buildings that were safe from the devastating flooding on Sunday
Flooded downtown is seen from a high rise along Buffalo Bayou after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf coast with rain causing widespread flooding in Houston
Interstate highway 45 is submerged from the effects of Hurricane Harvey seen during widespread flooding in Houston
The National Weather Service said: ‘The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before. Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days’. Pictured: Aerial image of Refugio
Aerial images show a trailer park that has been devastated by Hurricane Harvey on Sunday in Aransas, Texas
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Thousands of people evacuated after floods swamped parts of the region, leading Dallas to announce it aims to open a ‘mega-shelter’ for 5,000 evacuees by Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service said: ‘The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before. Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days.’
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said that as of 5pm on Sunday, Houston police and fire departments had received nearly 6,000 calls for rescues and had rescued more than 1,000 people.
Turner said that so far only one fatality has been confirmed in his city — a woman who died Saturday evening after getting out of her car when it drove into a flooded street.
Turner said 22 aircrafts were working to help identify people stranded on roofs. Sixteen of those aircrafts are from U.S. Coast Guard.
In addition, 35 boats and 93 dump trucks were being used by the city for high water rescues.
The mayor also defended his decision not to order an evacuation.
‘The decision that we made was a smart one. It was in the best interest of Houstonians. It was the right decision in terms of their safety… absolutely no regrets. We did what was the right thing to do,’ Turner said.
Residents in Houston abandoned their cars after becoming stuck in flood waters on Telephone Road on Sunday afternoon
Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden to safety after rescuing them from their home
An aerial view of Cove Harbor Marina in Rockport, Texas, on Sunday morning after the storm had passed
Salt Grass Landing Apartments in Rockport, Texas, were entirely destroyed in the hurricane. No residents were thought to have been inside the building when Harvey took hold
A bird’s eye view of Aransas Pass in Texas, one of the worst affected areas. At least five people have died in Aransas County but officials say it is too early to confirm all of the suspected deaths
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said that as of 5pm on Sunday, Houston police and fire departments had received nearly 6,000 calls for rescues and had rescued more than 1,000 people. Pictured: Aerial image of Refugio
