Tropical Storm Harvey Causes Disastrous Flooding In Houston Area
Source: AP
Houston was paralyzed early Sunday as Tropical Storm Harvey (a former Category 4 hurricane) pummeled low lying areas.
The county's Flood Control District reported more than 1,000 people have been rescued overnight due to record flooding.
The National Weather Service has urged citizens to "stay put" after two people were confirmed dead when a vehicle attempted to cross a flooded street.
A flash flood emergency is currently in effect as parts of Houston have experienced three to four inches of rainfall in less than an hour. There have been reports of lightning and even tornadoes as well.
Sustained winds have lowered to 45 mph, a drastic difference from the 130+ mph winds experienced on Friday evening as Harvey made landfall along the Texas coast. Although the hurricane has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, authorities say now is not the time to relax.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner stated, "It's going to last four to five days, and this is day one."
An astounding 15-25 inches of rain is expected throughout the middle and upper Texas coast through Thursday. Some isolated areas will receive up to 40 inches of rain (over three feet).
Many residents are taking to Twitter to report their situations:
View images below of Harvey as it made landfall and the damage caused so far:
