Amid the disastrous impact of Hurricane Harvey this weekend, local police departments and emergency responders in the state of Texas―specifically the greater Houston area―have been stretched to the limit by the historic floods. For example, the Dickinson Police Department Facebook page is inundated with comments from people in desperate need, requesting aid from local law enforcement as they contend with the widespread flooding and damage caused by the storm.
The comments in the thread underscore the severity and urgency of the situation, with dozens of residents of the Galveston County city requesting aid, often listing specific addresses of locations where people require emergency services.
Some residents have also turned to Twitter, sending out addresses in the hopes of alerting local authorities where to go. Catastrophic flooding throughout the greater Houston area has left countless homes and families in dire straits, desperately requiring emergency aid.
@houstonpolice this family is stranded on their roof, one of the babies are sick and he need medical attention.
— Gucci Mama (@sag5strong) August 27, 2017
11711 Woodshadow pic.twitter.com/cW9orjxLXd
@HCSOTexas @SheriffEd_HCSO Elderly people on Friendswood Health Center need help and need to be rescued @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/PRwCDbJEq7
— Sofía Ojeda (@KPRC2SofiaOjeda) August 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/shameless_l/status/901845643429335040
Two people in need of rescue in Dickinson, Texas. Please retweet to authorities. @houstonpolice @NationalGuard @uscoastguard pic.twitter.com/TJKjaYozM1
— Alicia Stepp (@aliciastepptx) August 27, 2017
My cousin is stuck inside his apt, waters to his knees and rising, please send help
— TINYY ♌️ (@reallytinyy) August 27, 2017
5461 Rand Apt B
Houston, TX 77026
https://twitter.com/priincessxochi/status/901842596586291201
STRANDED PREGNANT MOTHER WITH KIDS: YOLA DURAL 5147 LAVENDER HOUSTON,TX 77026
— ♥♥♥♥MEME2LOYAL4U♥♥♥♥ (@MemeMiszBoss2U) August 27, 2017
PLEASE HELP HER WATER RISING @KHOU @abc13houston
https://twitter.com/BasedMegan/status/901822115019714567
Have a boat or a high water vehicle? Help the #Harvey evacuations in Houston by calling 713-881-3100.
— DSA (@DemSocialists) August 27, 2017
As it stands now, the greater Houston area has reportedly absorbed 24 inches of rainfall in the last 24 hours, and some experts predict that number could rise to 50 inches throughout the week, as the flooding is expected to continue for days.
On Sunday, a nursing home in Dickinson—which was one of the addresses posted on the Dickinson Police Facebook page—successfully evacuated, with 15 senior citizens rescued from waters that were rising up to their chests. A picture taken from within the home prior to the rescue showed just how dire the circumstances were.
https://twitter.com/citizenservant/status/901836806240444416
In short, the circumstances across the upper and middle Texas coast are truly dire, and with the flooding expected to continue through Thursday, the demand on emergency services is likely to remain high. Thousands of rescue calls have reportedly already been placed, as the storm has uniquely preyed on some of the poorest and most vulnerable of Texans.
