A week after the devastating Hurricane Harvey roared toward the Gulf Coast, Some residents of Texas struggled to cope with no potable drinking water, explosions and fires continued to erupt a flood-crippled chemical plant and funerals for some of victims began.
Residents of Beaumont, Texas, home to a population of about 120,000 people waited in a long line to get a bottle of drinking water following the failure of the municipal water system earlier this week. An eye irritating fume and thick black smoke emanated from a chemical plant crippled by flood on Friday in Crosby.
Tragedies of Hurricane Harvey
On Friday evening, In Houston, Texas, family members and friends gathered to commemorate 42-year-old Benito Cavazos, who was killed by Harvey. Cavazos was among the 42 people who died during the disastrous storm. Cavazos, originally from Mexico entered the US illegally 28 years ago and was processing his green card before his unfortunate death.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump said he would be visiting the flood ravaged region the second time, and on Saturday, he will be in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas, to survey the damage done by Harvey. A statement from the White House said the President and the first lady, Melania Trump, would have time to talk with residents during the visit.
Also on Friday, the Mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner declared that thousands of homes could remain flooded for about 15 days following the release of water from two reservoirs. Residents of western parts of Houston, which is still flooded, were ordered to evacuate because of the release of two reservoirs that protect the area.
Officials said the ongoing releases could affect some homes that had already been flooded earlier in the week.
Post Harvey relief efforts
Mayor Turner demanded high-water vehicles be deployed and also pleaded for more Search And Rescue effort as America’s fourth largest city continues to search for survivors and the dead in the flood devastated neighborhood.
Search and rescue officials moved down streets, Knocking On Doors in an effort to rescue stranded victims. Local authorities consider the effort as initial search but did not say when the subsequent search would begin and what it would entail.
The Houston Mayor urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deploy more aid workers to assists thousands of people seeking government help. He said a preliminary request of an aid package of $74 million for debris removal will soon be issued.
