Hurricane Harvey floods force Houston residents to evacuate, leaves others stranded in high waters
Harvey made landfall on Friday in the form of a category 4 hurricane. However, the days following it were just as chaotic as tropical storms have resulted in flooding following as much as 50 inches of rainfall in certain areas.
The situation doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon as the National Weather Service had predicted another 15 to 25 inches by Friday, according to the New York Times.
Parts of the country’s fourth most populated city have been flooded so severely that homes have been filled with water that’s at least waist-high and the only way to travel is by boat.
— Janelle Bludau (@JanelleKHOU) August 27, 2017
Rescuers have been using their boats to rescue people trapped in their homes, cars and placed of employment throughout the weekend. But more help is needed as more photos of helpless citizens, many of which are elderly, make their way out.
“We desperately need boats and high water vehicles,” Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said. “We can’t wait for assets to come from outside.”
Residents have been using social media to share their locations and ask for help evacuating. Because of this, the Houston Police Department made sure to release information regarding other ways to do so.
The local leadership has been harshly criticized for its actions leading up to Harvey that may have put residents in danger. With no official evacuation order coming until early Monday morning, many questioned why residents weren’t informed of the possible severity of the storm.
“There are a number of people who are in Hurricane Harvey’s direct path, and evacuation orders have been given to them. But for the Houston area… this is a rainmaker for us. There’s no need for people to be thinking about putting themselves in greater danger,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Friday, according to the Daily Beast.
Now that the storm appears to only be getting worse, evacuation will be even more difficult given that many of the roads are flooded.