LET’S GO WALKIES
NOW FOR THE TORNADOES: TEXAS FEARS THE WORST IS YET TO COME
Houston
Emergency crews raced to pull people from cars and homes as flood waters rose across southeast Texas yesterday, rescuing over 1 000 people around Houston as Tropical Storm Harvey hit the region with “unprecedented” rain expected to last for days.
Harvey is the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years and has killed at least two people. The death toll is expected to rise as the storm lashes the US state for days, triggering record floods, tidal surges and tornadoes.
The storm has caused chestdeep flooding on some streets in Houston as rivers and channels overflow their banks. More than 640mm of rain has fallen in some parts of the city, with the storm expected to dump a further 300630mm over the next few days, the National Weather Service forecast.
“This event is unprecedented and all impacts are unknown and beyond anything experienced,” the government’s National Weather Service said on Twitter. The center of Harvey was still 125 miles away from Houston, and was forecast to arc slowly toward the city through Wednesday. Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm on Saturday because its winds had slowed, but days of torrential rain are forecast. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in a press conference, said new tornado warnings are expected.
The swift rise of flood waters surprised authorities and Houston residents with boats were asked to help with rescues. Emergency services told the city’s 2.3 million inhabitants to climb onto the roofs of houses, if necessary, to escape the water. People in Houston and other areas of Texas were asked not to leave their homes, even if they flooded, as roads were impassable.
“We’ve already had 20 helicopters in the air to help with rescue missions,” said Abbott.
He added that 1 800 members of the military would help with the statewide cleanup. Another 1 000 people were conducting search-and-rescue operations. – Reuters