Aug. 29 (UPI) — President Donald Trump arrived in Texas Tuesday afternoon to witness firsthand some of the devastation from Hurricane Harvey — which now includes a breached levee in Houston.
The president and first lady Melania Trump were set to receive an update on Harvey relief efforts from local leaders and relief organizations at 1 p.m. EDT in Corpus Christi, and will later meet with state leaders in Austin at 4:15 p.m.
The situation worsened in south Houston on Tuesday when the levee at Columbia Lakes breached for the first time in its history.
“Get out now!” Brazoria County, where a mandatory evacuation was enacted on Sunday, wrote on Twitter.
“That area is under mandatory evacuation,” county spokeswoman Sharon Trower said. “We have some residents there who didn’t want to leave. We have first responders there getting them out now.”
Several people have died since Saturday due to the severe storm and many others have been injured. By Tuesday, though, the death toll remained below a dozen. The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that a police officer drowned in his patrol car.
Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña said his agency has deployed boats and high-water vehicles to help in rescue efforts, and noted that the most afflicted parts of Houston are on the west side of the city. Houston police urged residents to remain in safe locations and not travel unless it is an emergency.
Officials have also urged residents in southeast Texas to boil water as a precaution, in case drinking water becomes scarce.
#PhotosFromTheField: Aerial photos from our rescue crews earlier today. #Harvey #TMDHarvey @USNationalGuard
The entire Texas National Guard is involved in rescue and recovery operations — bringing the total deployment of about 12,000 guardsmen to Corpus Christi, Houston and the surrounding areas.
The City of Houston has appealed to medical professionals, nurses and social workers to help at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which is temporarily being used as a shelter. Most locations under mandatory or voluntary evacuations are southwest of Houston’s city center.
City leaders refuted a rumor that people seeking help must provide valid legal immigration papers to prove residency.
“We will not ask for immigration status or papers from anyone at any shelter. This rumor is FALSE!” the City of Houston said said on Twitter.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 storm late Friday night, and was downgraded to a tropical storm hours later. However, the fallout continues to overwhelm the region of 6 million people, which includes 2 million residents in Houston alone.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long said at a news conference Monday that more than 30,000 displaced residents are expected to be sheltered temporarily in the region.
Harvey, still a tropical storm, will move northeast in the coming days toward Louisiana and Mississippi. Forecasters say it will continue to dump heavy rains until at least Thursday.
