Hurricane Harvey: Texas Governor Warns of 20-30 More Inches Of Rain

HOUSTON, TX — Texas Governor Greg Abbott spoke to the state Saturday afternoon via press conference in Austin. Abbott addressed the needs and concerns of the damage and lingering effects from Hurricane Harvey, which was downgraded to a tropical storm before noon Saturday. He said more Texas military troops will be deployed, search and rescue missions will continue and folks from Houston to Corpus Christi to San Antonio should brace for another possible 20-30 inches of rain.

“Our primary concern remains the dramatic flooding,” Abbott said in a prepared statement. He said as of Saturday afternoon, 20 inches of rain has fallen in Corpus Christi while 16 inches has been dumped on Houston.

“We’re expecting 20-30 inches more in the range from Corpus Christi to Houston,” Abbott said. “Because of the flooding, one of the top focal points is ongoing rescue and recovery.

Though Abbott said there had been no confirmed fatalities during the press conference, the Rockport mayor confirmed one dead after the press conference.

Abbott urged citizens to try and stay away from rising waters and “be vigilant and observe rising waters around you.”

He said Fort Bend County in the Houston area has issued a voluntary evacuation for the Brazos River area and a mandatory evacuation for those along San Bernard River. Heavy rains and tornado warnings and watches continue to plague most of the Texas coast.

The governor declared a state of emergency for 30 counties last week prior to the storm, and said he’s since added 20 more Texas counties, including four north of Houston with Brazos, Grimes, Madison and Walker counties.

Abbott said getting President Trump’s approval for a declaration for federal disaster immediately triggers implementation of FEMA and its assistance of individuals and to begin rebuilding process as quickly as possible.

Abbott said more than 1,300 members of the Texas Military Division had been activated, and that 500 more members would additionally be activated. He said 80 state troopers have been sent to the Corpus Christi area to assist in law efforts.

The governor said he issued a proclamation to waive all hotel occupancy taxes for any evacuees who needed hotels or motels for emergency housing. He also waived the fees for the 1,500-plus evacuees have taken refuge in state parks.

He went on to say that agencies remain active in the search progress for missing persons.

“We have focused on working with evacuees, especially from the Corpus Christi area,” Abbott said. “We’ve already made several evacuations and we have 1,000 personnel in Texas assigned to search and rescue.”

Abbott said he has talked on the phone with mayors from Victoria and Port Lavaca, and said both are in good spirits. He said he attempted to place calls with the governors of Corpus Christi and Rockport, but noted that any resources will be available for those affected.

He said the Red Cross has 21 shelters with a population of about 1,450, and that Red Cross has another shelter on standby. This is in addition to any statewide shelters provided by counties, municipalities and non-profit groups.

Hurricane Harvey smashed into Texas Friday night as a Category 4 storm packing winds at 130-plus miles per hour. The eye hit near Rockport, which seems to be the hardest hit.

The storm moved inland and has dumped incredible amounts of rain from South Padre Island to Beaumont, virtually the entire Texas coast.

Top image: The roof of a gas station sits in flood waters in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas. Harvey rolled over the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, smashing homes and businesses and lashing the shore with wind and rain so intense that drivers were forced off the road because they could not see in front of them.

AP Photo/Eric Gay