HARVEY AFTERMATH: 200 STUDENTS FROM INDIA MAROONED IN HOUSTON VARSITY
Two Indian students were seriously injured and about 250 more marooned at the University of Houston by tropical storm Harvey, which US emergency officials said had affected 450,000 people when it battered Texas, leaving floods and a trail of destruction in its wake.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted on Monday that India’s consulate in Houston had informed her “that 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned. They are surrounded by neck deep water... We made efforts for delivery of food but US Coast Guard did not allow as boats were required for rescue operations.”
She also confirmed that two students were critically injured and are currently in an ICU.
Anupam Ray, the consul general in Houston, posted on Facebook: “Monitoring a serious incident involving 2 Indian nationals at College Station. I have reached India in USA (Consulate General of India, Houston) and we are trying to provide whatever help we can. One of our consular officers will try and make it to College Station.”
In a subsequent post, he wrote that embassy officials had established contact with the students, adding that they would be evacuated by Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the met office warned that Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, was set to result in more rain in Houston.
“What we’re seeing is the most devastating flood event in Houston’s recorded history,” said Steve Bowen, chief meteorologist at reinsurance company Aon Benfield.
Harvey could also cause fuel shortages in Latin America after it shut in around 1 million barrels per day of US petroleum exports. Harvey shut down the ports of Corpus Christi and Houston in Texas, and both are major fuel export ports.