Hurricane Harvey: 'catastrophic' flooding hits Texas

- August 27, 2017

A Texas Army National Guard helicopter stands by in a parking lot in Rockport, Tex., ready to evacuate residents injured by the storm on Saturday. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Time

Rockport was in the hurricane’s direct path when it came ashore and many building suffered extensive damage. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times

Tony Buchanan and Myava Buchanan watching heavy rain and winds from Hurricane Harvey on Friday night from a hotel in Corpus Christi, Tex. They had been evacuated from Aransas Pass, Tex. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times

Hurricane Harvey, powered by the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters, made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane at about 9:45 p.m. Friday, earlier than expected. It came ashore just northeast of Corpus Christi, Tex., packing 130 m.p.h. winds.

• A single storm-related death was reported on Saturday in Rockport, Tex., but search and rescue operations were just getting under way.

• While the extent of the devastation was not yet known, emergency officials reported heavy building damage in Port Aransas and in Rockport on Saturday, with shredded trees and blown-off roofs.

• The system was downgraded to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon, and is expected to produce a “multiday rainfall disaster” over the next five to six days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday said that his primary concern remains “dramatic flooding” in the wake of the storm.

Speaking at a televised news conference in Austin, Governor Abbott said state and other agencies remained active in search and rescue efforts. “We don’t have any information right now that we can confirm” about fatalities, he said.

He warned Texans to be vigilant and to stay away from rising water, noting that it can be far deeper, with swifter currents, than it may appear.

“Turn around, don’t drown. Don’t risk your life,” he said. “The most important thing all Texans can do is to put your life and the protection of your life first and foremost.”

He said agencies were focused on supporting evacuees from Corpus Christi and elsewhere, and on getting supplies, such as food, water and ice, to areas that needed it. — JOHANNA BARR in New York.

Hundreds of thousands are without power.

The storm remained a hurricane well after landfall, and conditions, including tornado warnings, made it difficult for the authorities to begin even preliminary damage assessments.

A truck in flood waters passed a home damaged by the storm in Aransas Pass, Tex. Eric Gay/Associated Press

More than 250,000 customers were without electricity early Saturday, a figure that was likely to increase. Corpus Christi urged people who were still in the city to boil water.

Images and videos on social media showed substantial damage to buildings, including roofs and walls pulled away. Power lines were toppled, and phone service was down.

Early rainfall totals were staggering. The National Hurricane Center said that an automated rain gauge near Victoria, a city of about 68,000 in the path of the storm, had recorded more than 16 inches in 24 hours.

As rains picked up in Houston before daybreak on Saturday, the lights began to blink and, in some areas, go out. The city’s roads, largely quiet since Friday evening, were almost entirely empty. — ALAN BLINDER in Houston

Rockport, in the storm’s path, took a direct hit.

Rockport, a coastal city of about 10,000 that was in the hurricane’s path when it came ashore. Charles J. Wax, Rockport’s mayor, said that conditions were too dangerous on Saturday morning to deploy emergency officials across the city, but that an initial review, as the storm’s eye passed overnight, showed “widespread damage.”

“Homes and businesses completely destroyed, lives disrupted,” said Mr. Wax, who said that a Fairfield Inn and Suites had sustained heavy damage. “We do not know if there is any loss of life, but that may be because we haven’t been able to assess.”

“We took a Category 4 storm right on the nose,” said Mr. Wax, who had issued a mandatory evacuation order. — ALAN BLINDER in Houston

Prisoners were being transported to safety.

About 4,500 inmates at three prison units in Rosharon, Tex., were being bused to other facilities as the nearby Brazos River rose under heavy rain. By noon, the river had swelled by at least 15 feet since Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Shelters were readied for evacuees.

As thousands of coastal residents were ordered to evacuate on Friday, and others chose to leave on their own, inland cities welcomed an influx of evacuees on Friday.

Gov. Greg Abbott said the state government was preparing to assist up to 41,000 evacuees. As many as 54 shelters would be open, officials said, with the potential for that number to grow.

Dallas opened a shelter for up to 500 people, and was ready to open two more if needed, officials there said.

“We are prepared to handle much more than we are right now,” said Rocky Vaz, director of the Dallas Office of Emergency Management.

In Austin, the American Red Cross scheduled an “urgent shelter volunteer training” session on Friday as officials prepared for more evacuees to arrive.

And in San Antonio, more than 150 people were being housed at a former elementary school as of Friday morning, according to the local news station KSAT-TV. Many of those seeking shelter had arrived by bus.