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Hurricane Harvey has downgraded to a tropical storm, but not before causing serious havoc all throughout southeast Texas. The region has been hit with heavy flooding that has potential to threaten the lives of many people, at least 20 people have died and many more have reportedly been injured.
Meteorologists predict even more heavy rainfall in the days to come. They are predicting roughly 50 inches of rain by Wednesday. So far, Houston has seen 25 inches of rain within two days time. Other areas have been flooded with 20 inches of liquid. Meanwhile, Mary’s Creek at Winding Road just broke a new record! The town received the most recorded rainfall ever in a tropical storm with 49.20 inches of rain overall. The previous record was 48 inches.
Some people are panicking in the storm as rescue boats arrive. Clyde Cain, of the Cajun Navy, a Louisiana-based rescue force is on the scene , assisting and evacuating people. “They’re making it difficult for us to rescue them,” he said. “You have people rushing the boat. Everyone wants to get in at the same time. They’re panicking. Water is rising.”
Cain described the level of tension and danger that goes beyond heavy force winds and flooding. Some boats are under attack by desperate people. He said, “We have boats being shot at if we’re not picking everybody up. We’re having to pull out for a minute. We’re dropping an air boat right now to go rescue a couple of our boats that broke, and they’re kind of under attack.”
At least 5,500 people have sought shelter in Houston, while 1,000 people have found shelters in Friendswood. Federal officials predict that the storm will send 30,000 people into shelters and spur 450,000 victims to seek out disaster assistance.
