Hurricane Harvey has killed at least five people, as the storm continues to batter Texas with rain and floods, according to new reports.
But the true death toll remains unclear as rescuers struggle to reach many stranded in the state’s worst storm in more than 50 years, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“It’s catastrophic, unprecedented, epic — whatever adjective you want to use,” National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Blood told paper. “It’s pretty horrible right now.”
The wild weather drenched Houston with two feet of rain Sunday morning, while 12 counties are under a flash flood emergency — and the onslaught could continue for days, Blood says.
“I know for a fact this is the worst flood Houston has ever experienced,” he said.
The names of all the victims and how they died aren’t yet known — the first was a man who died in a house fire in the town of Rockport, 30 miles north of Corpus Christi, and the second an old woman who attempted to drive through flooding in Houston. Her body was found floating down the street.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez shared an unconfirmed report of a dead woman and child inside a submerged vehicle.
More than 1,000 people were rescued overnight, but 911 is overwhelmed with calls. “We are still stranded in our home with little kids and the water keep rising,” Houston resident Janet Castillo told CNN. “We have called already to several numbers but no luck. We have (tried) but their lines are all busy or they don’t answer.”
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