A flood watch has been extended into Sunday for Houston following catastrophic flooding that turned backyards and streets into rivers and prompted water rescues in nearby communities.
Parts of South Texas, including Harris County, home to Houston, have been hit with heavy rain. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county government’s top executive, declared a disaster Thursday as mandatory evacuations were ordered along the East Fork of the San Jacinto River.
Photos posted on social media by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez showed streets completely covered as first responders brought residents to safety.
“Heroes,” Gonzalez captioned a series of photos of rescuers carrying small children and dogs.
Hidalgo said in a video posted Friday night that the water along the East Fork of the San Jacinto River almost completely covered mailboxes in some areas and had reached up to the roofs of homes in others.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said it rescued 73 people and 42 animals between Tuesday and Saturday morning. At a news conference on Saturday, Hidalgo said the numbers had increased to 178 people and 122 pets rescued across the county.
In Montgomery County, Texas, 52 people were rescued from “life-threatening situations” and 338 needed to be evacuated from their homes, said Trey Baxter with the Montgomery County’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. More than 90 animals were also evacuated, he said.
The American Red Cross was providing aid to residents in Texas and had nine shelters open.
“Since sheltering operations began we, along with help from our local, county, and state partners, have provided more than 370 overnight stays for nearly 230 residents,” the organization said in a statement Saturday. “As of last night, we had more than 200 people in our care. Our teams are ready to respond should the…
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