Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas, as a Category 4 storm. It is now a Category 1 hurricane and is expected to stall for several days over the southern Texas, leading to catastrophic flooding across the region. An estimated 12 million people are under a Flash Flood emergency.

A state of emergency has been declared in 50 counties of Texas, and eight counties are under evacuation orders. A major disaster declaration was signed on August 25. A state of emergency was also declared in Louisiana due to expected flooding, and one parish is under an evacuation order.

FEMA has deployed assets throughout the affected area. Other responding government agencies include:

  • The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is providing rescue assistance to those in need. USCG is using shallow-draft vessels to provide search and rescue assistance in flooded areas, while Coast Guard aircrews conduct damage assessment overflights and search and rescue patrols.
  • The United States Geological Survey Texas Water Science Center deployed storm surge sensors in as many as 20 locations between the San Luis Pass and Corpus Christi.
  • The Civil Air Patrol is providing aircraft, vehicles, and personnel to accomplish aerial/ground imaging, damage assessments, and transportation of personnel and light cargo.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting flood-fighting activities such as stockpiling and issuing flood-fighting materials (sandbags and materials/fabrics that keep soil in place) to local government entities in an effort to mitigate the effects of flooding in the affected areas.

Approximately 300,000 people in Texas are without power, and 34 shelters are open in and around affected areas. Many coastal areas of Texas are under a storm surge warning until Tuesday. In some areas, rainfall has already amounted to more than 10 inches in less than 24 hours.

Read the source article at Center for Disaster Philanthropy