Levee breaches due to Harvey at Houston suburb forcing evacuation
HOUSTON: A levee along the Brazos River south of Houston breached on Tuesday due to heavy rains from Tropical Storm Harvey, forcing officials to call for residents to evacuate low-lying areas.
Matt Sebesta, the chief administrator of Brazoria County, urged residents of the Columbia Lakes neighbourhood to leave.
“They need to get out. Get to higher ground in Angleton,” the county seat, he said in a televised interview. Columbia Lakes is located about 50 miles (80 km) from Houston, close to Brazos River.
The Houston area’s rivers have started to flood.
Harris County officials earlier on Tuesday warned resident of six northern Houston neighbourhoods to evacuate around two water reservoirs that had started overflowing.
With scores of area residents fleeing flooding from the storm, Houston officials are preparing to open additional large shelters, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Tuesday.
Federal Emergency Management Agency has been asked to provide “as soon as possible” supplies, cots and food to help another 10,000 people from the city and surrounding towns, he said.
The city’s existing main shelter in a downtown convention centre was initially set up to handle 5,000 people and earlier on Tuesday held 9,000, he said.