August 27, 2017bcnn1wp

5 Reported Dead After Hurricane Harvey Causes Carastrophic Flooding in Houston

The remains of a house that caught fire as Hurricane Harvey hit Corpus Christi, Tex.
Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The storm has hit Houston and the surrounding region, causing catastrophic flooding and killing at least five people in the region, the National Weather Service said Sunday morning.

Late Saturday, rain and winds from Hurricane Harvey began to pummel the nation’s fourth largest city, with a metro population of 6.6 million.

The Weather Service issued repeated flash flood warnings throughout the night, and dry city streets turned to speeding rivers in a matter of minutes. Emergency lines in the city were soon filled with people stranded on highways, and residents began sending desperate tweets directly to officials.

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One video showed cars almost completely submerged under one of the city’s many elevated highways.

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Emergency responders completed more than 1,000 high-water rescues during the night. “Travel across the area is severely hampered, if not impossible,” said an announcement from the Weather Service.

City officials urged flooded residents to head to their roofs, not their attics.

“Many neighbors are screaming for help,” wrote one man to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez on Twitter, urging the sheriff to call.

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SOURCE: NY Times, Julie Turkewitz