Hurricane Harvey Kills 8; More Misery Ahead In Houston

HOUSTON, TX — The brutality of Hurricane Harvey continues to wallop Houston and the Texas coast. The storm that has taken at least eight lives by Monday afternoon has been called epic, unprecedented and devastating, and its punishing effects harshly linger. First responders and good Samaritans are searching neighborhoods by boat to look for thousands still stranded in their homes, and mass evacuations are underway while Harvey regroups for another landfall on Tuesday.

Harvey, now a tropical storm, has dropped up to 40 inches of rain in some parts of Houston and surrounding cities. Forecasters say more is on the way, which means this storm’s totality could be more than 50 inches of rain when it’s all said and done. Of note, Houston averages 50 inches of rainfall a year, making this a catastrophic event.

“This is a landmark event for Texas,” said FEMA Administrator Brock Long. “Texas has never seen an event like this.”

Over 30,000 People Might Need Shelter After Harvey

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Meyerland Patch, and click here to find your local Texas Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Like Meyerland Patch on Facebook and get our posts directly in your newsfeed; story continues below.

Round One may be over, as Tropical Storm Harvey oozed back into the Gulf of Mexico. But Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, is completely underwater and its infrastructure crippled. Roads and major highways are underwater, many are without power and Texans continue to show resiliency.

“We’re working with the Red Cross to make sure we have the supplies,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday morning at a press conference. “We’re asking for diapers, baby formula, clothing donations, food donations, medical supplies and volunteers.”

Several area hospitals have been evacuated because of swirling waters, a lesson learned from watching what happened in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

There have been 75,000 calls to 911 on Monday morning alone, and city officials said to be patient when calling in.

“We want to reassure people we will respond to them,” Turner said.

The George R. Brown Convention Center has been turned into a shelter, and Turner said that as of 10 a.m., the city had taken in 5,500 in all shelters, and he expects that number to rise.

Bayous in Houston have overflowed and merged together, rivers have reached maximum flood stages and neighborhood streets have become navigable waterways.

The flood control district activated a controlled water release of the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs has begun at 2,600 cubic feet from each, and that will gradually increase to 8,000 cubic feet until noon. Buffalo Bayou levels will increase, officials said Monday morning.

"The amount of water that is behind Barker and Addicks — if they don’t release it, it will go around those reservoirs and create a major problem," Turner said.

Harvey punched Texas in the mouth Friday night when the Category 4 storm slammed into Rockport, Corpus Christi and the coastal bend with winds of 130-plus miles per hour. The giant storm’s outer bands began saturating Texas from Beaumont to Austin, and the eye moved inland and east to Houston, where it meandered.

The Washington Post reported Monday afternoon that it learned from Texas officials that there have been at least eight deaths related to Harvey. Of course, that number could rise as debris remains to be removed in Lockport and when the water recedes in the Greater Houston area.

For animals that have gotten displaced because of the storm, one group has taken charge and is flying more than 300 rescued pets to shelters in other states via Wings of Rescue.

Shelters Around Houston And Dallas

There are area shelters for those who need somewhere to go. Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale turned his mattress store into a shelter, and Dallas has opened the Bailey Convention Center.

Here's where you can find one of more than 50 area shelters, including non-profits and the suburbs. There are some shelters located just northwest of Houston for any evacuees who don't want to go downtown.

Some Of The Many Ways You Can Help Harvey Victims

Governor Activates Entire National Guard

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated the Texas National Guard Monday morning, which is roughly 12,000 soldiers.

“It is imperative that we do everything possible to protect the lives and safety of people across the state of Texas as we continue to face the aftermath of this storm,” Abbott said in the statement. “The Texas National Guard is working closely with FEMA and federal troops to respond urgently to the growing needs of Texans who have fallen victim to Hurricane Harvey, and the activation of the entire Guard will assist in the efforts already underway. I would like to thank FEMA Administrator Brock Long, as well as all our brave first responders for their hard work in helping those impacted by this terrible storm.”

Sports teams, athletes and celebrities making large donations

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for flood victims, and then he donated $100,000.

"To see it going through such a disaster and not be there, not be able to help, it's very difficult to have to watch it from afar and see it on TV and look at streets that you know and you can barely recognize them under all the water," Watt said. "Houston, we're in this together."

By noon on Monday, more than $430,000 had been raised. Here's where you can add to the fund.

The Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys, who are scheduled to play their final preseason game this Thursday at NRG Stadium in Houston, both pledged to donate $1 million. That amount was matched by the NFL Foundation and the New England Patriots.

The Houston Rockets and owner Les Alexander pledged $4 million to the effort.

Actor and comedian Kevin Hart put out a challenge to fellow celebrities to donate, and he kicked it off with a $25,000 donation.

Top image: A resident walks down a flooded street in the upscale River Oaks neighborhood after it was inundated with water from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27 in Houston. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images