With rain being measured in feet instead of inches Texas is being pummeled by rain associated with Hurricane Harvey. Large low-lying urban areas like Houston are now flooded and rescue efforts are underway. The damage is going to be on the catastrophic scale with some areas receiving 24 inches of rain with more rain to come. Some Texas rural areas are predicted to receive 50 inches of rain before this event is over. Last night rain in Houston was coming down at the rate of 3 inches per hour creating flash flooding on roadways trapping people in their cars.
2,500 calls were responded to, while there were 1,000 waiting for a response from rescue personnel. People are being warned not to go the their attics, if you must go up higher go to the roof of your building.
Emergency shelters are opening, the Red Cross and FEMA are mobilized with a Red Cross contingent from Western and Central New York, already dispatched to assist in relief efforts.
New York Deploys Forces to Assist in Texas and Louisiana
On Saturday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo deployed aircraft, vessels, and Airmen from the 106th Rescue Wing of the New York Air National Guard to help the Hurricane Harvey response in Texas and Louisiana.
The personnel and aircraft include 104 Air Guard personnel, including rescue teams, maintenance and support staff, three rescue helicopters, one rescue plane and several boats and watercraft and are being deployed from Francis S. Gabreski Airport to Fort Hood to aid in the recovery efforts.