‘WORSE THAN THE WORST CASE’

Rescue forces descend on the Texas Gulf Coast as floodwaters keep rising

With more than 20 inches of rain on the ground in some places and Tropical Storm Harvey expected to linger for days more, the Texas Gulf Coast was bracing for extended catastrophic flooding.

As Gov. Greg Abbott assured the region that “the cavalry was coming,” rescuers raced to respond to thousands of pleas for help.

Meteorologists were working through their store of superlatives in describing the storm.

Meanwhile, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner pleaded for residents to cry out only in life-threatening situations. He also defended the decision not to call for widespread evacuations, saying it would have created a “nightmare” on the roads.

The Texas Gulf Coast braced for days of relentless flooding this week as rescuers struggled to reach desperate residents in a city hammered by the remnants of a fierce hurricane.

Helicopters plucked people from rooftops Sunday across Houston while boats and trucks swept hundreds more to safety as Tropical Storm Harvey fueled historic rains.

The National Weather Service said some areas could be slammed with an “unprecedented” 50 inches of rain by week’s end as the storm lingers.

“This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced,” the weather service tweeted. “Follow orders from officials to ensure safety.”

Gov. Greg Abbott activated 3,000 National Guard troops in addition to hundreds of state emergency personnel aiding first responders. He said 600 boats helped rescue the stranded. The Coast Guard said at least 16 helicopters were tapped for air rescues, and more were coming into the area by Monday.

Convoys of buses and a mobile hospital unit were on the way to Houston and the Gulf Coast, as were truckloads of food and volunteers, Abbott said. “They now know the cavalry is coming,” the governor said. “Our top priority is to protect human life.”

Flooding overwhelmed the Houston metropolitan area. Scenes of families shuttled to safety played out in scores of neighborhoods. The Coast Guard said it plucked more than 100 people from rooftops and conducted more than 2,000

NICK OZA/THE REPUBLIC

LM OTERO/AP Above: Jayveon Murphy, 10, makes his way through floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey to check on a neighbor in Houston. Top: Port Aransas resident Heather Miller, 53, reacts after Harvey’s 132 mph winds blew apart many of the businesses and houses.

DAVID J. PHILLIP, AP Richard Wagner of the Harris County Sheriff ’s Department pulls Wilford Martinez from his car Sunday as floodwaters overwhelm Interstate 610 in Houston.