Just four days into one of the biggest storms to hit the U.S. in decades, Harvey, authorities have rescued thousands of people in Houston alone. And as floodwaters continue to rise across southeast Texas- over 15 feet deep in certain areas, officials expect that still thousands more evacuees will need to be sheltered in the days to come. The George R. Brown convention center in downtown Houston currently has 9,000 evacuees, countless smaller shelters are also across the city’s suburbs, and Lakewood Church has opened its doors to more.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated the state’s entire National Guard on Monday, saying roughly 12,000 guard members will be deployed to respond to Harvey. “It is imperative that we do everything possible to protect the lives and safety of people across the state of Texas as we continue to face the aftermath of this storm,” Abbott said in a statement.
Several other states have also sent relief efforts to the region, including the 120 NYPD personnel, helicopters from Utah, and search and rescues teams from the California National Guard.
