The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local) :
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) – The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local) :
6 p.m.
A Galveston County official says Hurricane Harvey has caused unprecedented flooding there and 800 to 1,200 residents have had to be rescued.
Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said Sunday that about 22 inches of rain has fallen on the coastal county so far with another 10 to 15 inches still expected.
The area hardest-hit by floods has been Dickinson, a low-lying city of about 20,000 residents along Dickinson Bayou, where crews had to lead to safety 19 residents and five staff members from an assisted-living center flooded with waist-deep water.
Henry says about 90 percent of the county’s rescue calls have come from Dickinson. An appeal had been made through social media for assistance by private boat owners and their vessels, and 25 to 35 owners responded.
Henry is appealing for volunteers to help staff rescue shelters and see to the needs of the 2,000 to 10,000 people that have sheltered in them.
He says he appealed for state and federal help mid-morning Sunday, adding « we have gotten some help, but we still need more. »
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5: 20 p.m.
Patricia Cain entered the George R. Brown Convention Center barefoot and carrying two oxygen tanks. The first was empty. The second was given to her by the Houston Fire Department after the U. S. Coast Guard rescued her from her home.
She suffers from congestive heart failure – when the heart’s pumping power is weaker than normal – and other illnesses. Her son, William, and 9-year-old grandson were waiting for her inside. Both were barefoot as well.
William Cain says the water outside their home was in some spots several feet high. He says, « I live in a lake where there was once dry land. » Water had started to come into their apartment, and they had already lost power.
Asked if he wishes he’d have evacuated, Cain laughed and walked away. He said: « That’s a no-brainer, brother. »
The city of Houston opened the convention center Sunday to people fleeing the flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey.
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5: 10 p.m.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he hasn’t yet spoken to Democratic Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner – despite repeated attempts.
Abbott said Sunday at an Austin news conference he’d called Tuner’s cell phone « several times » to « let him know that, whatever he needs, the state of Texas will provide. » Abbott said he’d yet to hear back.
Abbott’s office later clarified that the governor had called Turner four times since Friday and left two messages, to no avail.
The governor and mayor clashed before Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday, with Abbott suggesting people in Houston might want to evacuate but Turner saying fleeing unnecessarily would clog highways for those leaving other communities facing bigger threats.
Still, Abbott said Sunday, « We’ve moved beyond whether or not there should have been an evacuation. »
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5 p.m.
Officials in Dallas say they’ll open the city’s convention center to about 5,000 people who are fleeing from the hurricane-ravaged southern part of the state.
Officials say the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will open to evacuees on Tuesday morning. Dallas has three shelters currently open for evacuees, but the convention center will serve as a « mega shelter. »
City Office of Emergency Management Director Rocky Vaz says the state made a formal request to open the convention center, which should be ready by early Tuesday morning.
The city, Red Cross, Dallas County, Parkland Hospital, the Salvation Army, Children’s Hospital and other volunteer groups are coordinating the logistics of getting the shelter ready.
The city opened a third smaller shelter about 4: 30 p.m. Sunday. About 415 evacuees are staying at the two other shelters, where they will remain for the time being
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4: 55 p.m.
The National Hurricane Center is urging residents in southeast Texas to stay put as Harvey inches south on a track that forecasters say will bring it back into the Gulf of Mexico for some slight strengthening before returning into Texas again.
Harvey continues to be a tropical storm with 40 mph winds. In its late afternoon update Sunday, the center forecasts Harvey will reach the coast late Monday and spend much of Tuesday over water, where it could increase wind strength to 45 mph (72 kph) .
Forecasters think Harvey will come inland Wednesday with a path over Houston by the afternoon and then diminish in strength as it heads deeper into Texas and northern Louisiana.
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4: 30 p.m.
The evacuation of Houston’s main public hospital hasn’t begun yet because it is surrounded by waist-deep water as a result of Tropical Storm Harvey.
Bryan McLeod is a spokesman for Harris Health System. He said Sunday that minor flooding in the basement of Ben Taub Hospital and a busted sewer pipe forced officials to close the kitchen. McLeod says the flooding resulted in only a small amount of water in the basement and did not affect the hospital’s power supply. But shutting down the kitchen leaves the hospital with a limited supply of dry food for patients.
McLeod says the evacuations won’t start until the water recedes from around the facility and will likely take several days. The hospital is part of the Texas Medical Center, and has 350 patients.
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3: 50 p.m.
Nearly a quarter of Texas’ population lives in areas covered by a federal disaster declaration as a result of Tropical Storm Harvey.
Gov. Greg Abbott says 18 counties are now covered by the disaster declaration approved by President Donald Trump. There are nearly 7 million people in those counties, including the nation’s fourth-largest city of Houston. Texas has a population of 27.8 million.
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3: 45 p.m.
Police say a sinkhole has opened on a Texas highway about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Houston as Tropical Storm Harvey dumps more rain on the region.
Rosenberg police on Sunday tweeted a photo of the gaping hole that spread across more than half of a two-lane highway – Farm-to-Market 762.
Water could be seen filling the sinkhole as pieces of highway asphalt hung from the edge of the damaged roadway.
Rosenberg police did not immediately provide additional details on the sinkhole, other than urging drivers to avoid the area. Police cars blocked off the highway.
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3: 30 p.m.
President Donald Trump will travel to hurricane-ravaged Texas on Tuesday.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells reporters the White House is still coordinating logistics with state and local officials.
She adds: « We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers. »
Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday. Rising water chased some people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers.
Trump has been praising the government’s response to the storm on Twitter.
He tweeted earlier Sunday that he would be traveling to Texas as soon as he could go « without causing disruption. »
He said: « The focus must be life and safety. »
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3 p.m.
An official says all 22 of Harris County’s watersheds have spilled over their banks due to Tropical Storm Harvey. Watersheds are creeks and bayous that take water away from the Houston area and eventually drain it into Galveston Bay.
Harris County Flood Control District Meteorologist Jeff Lindner says over half of the watersheds are experiencing record flooding.
Lindner said even with the rain starting to decrease a little bit, the sheer volume of water that has fallen is going to take time to run off.
He says it may take until Sunday night or well into Monday or even Tuesday « to get the water out of these areas that have been impacted so hard. »
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2: 30 p.m.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says that the number of counties declared federal disaster areas from Tropical Storm Harvey and its aftermath has increased to 18.
Abbott said Sunday 12 counties have been added to an earlier federal disaster list of six. He said President Donald Trump has approved the increase in counties.
Also, 50 counties have already been declared state disaster zones, 30 earlier in the week and 20 on Saturday. Abbott says the counties under the federal and state declarations include Harris County, which encompasses Houston and has been experiencing severe flooding from torrential rains.
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2: 20 p.m.
Several hundred people have arrived at the downtown convention center the city of Houston has converted into a shelter after floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey inundated much of the city.
Ken Sandy has been designated shelter manager by the Red Cross. He said Sunday that his volunteers are prepared for 1,000 people at the George R. Brown Convention Center, and the center is big enough for them to expand if necessary. The center has 1.8 million square feet (0.17 million sq. meters) of space.
Volunteers are handing out towels to people entering the cavernous center. Cots have not yet arrived.
Authorities across Houston and surrounding Harris County are quickly opening shelters as the full toll of the flooding becomes clear and thousands of people evacuate their homes.
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2: 15 p.m.
A Harris County official is asking members of the public who have a boat or a high water vehicle to help with efforts to rescue Houston residents whose homes have flooded in the torrential rains brought by Tropical Storm Harvey.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said at a news conference Sunday that the additional boats and vehicles that Texas is sending to the Houston area are not able to get to the area due to flooded roadways. He adds that vehicles the state previously sent are already being used to help rescue individuals.
Emmett, who oversees government operations in Harris County, where Houston is located, says, « We desperately need boats and high water vehicles … We can’t wait for assets to come from outside. »
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2 p.m.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the state has now activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard members as a result of severe damage and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Along with the guard, he says 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft have been put into service.
Abbott said there are no 250 highway closures around Texas.
He spoke at a news conference at the state emergency response center in Austin.
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1: 35 p.m.
President Donald Trump met by teleconference Sunday with top administration officials as rescue workers continue to respond to rising flood waters from Hurricane Harvey.
The White House says Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, members of Trump’s Cabinet and other senior officials discussed federal support for response and recovery efforts.
The White House says Trump stressed his expectation that « all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the governors of Texas and Louisiana » and that his « number one priority of saving lives. »
Rising floodwaters from Harvey have forced thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground in Houston, overwhelming rescuers.
Trump announced Sunday he’s planning a trip to Texas soon
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1: 20 p.m.
Both major airports in Houston have been closed amid severe flooding blamed on Tropical Storm Harvey.
A Houston Airport System statement at midday Sunday said George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport are closed to commercial flights until further notice.
Officials say roads in and out of both airports are shut down due to flooding.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall late Friday night along the Texas coast about 230 miles southwest of Houston, but it wasn’t until late Saturday night that what became Tropical Storm Harvey began bringing torrential rains causing flooding to the Houston area.
The airport system’s website says Bush Intercontinental Airport is 23 miles north of downtown Houston and provides service via 29 passenger airlines.
Hobby Airport is 7 miles south of downtown Houston and is served by four passenger airlines.
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1 p.m.
Many of the people arriving at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which has been opened as a shelter for people fleeing flooding, are from a public housing complex about a mile north.
Clayton Homes public housing complex is bounded on one side by Interstate 45 and the other by Buffalo Bayou, which has flooded heavily along with all of Houston’s major waterways.
