Tim Pearce
Four children under the age of 16 drowned with their great grandparents in Houston on Monday after Hurricane Harvey flooded the area, family members told media outlets.
No bodies have yet been recovered, but all six are presumed dead.
BREAKING: Family of 6 drowns in northeast Houston, according to relatives https://t.co/AykvXeA9UJ pic.twitter.com/LnQTFqT0gf
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) August 28, 2017
Houston police chief Art Acevedo announced Monday that rescuers have saved about 2,000 people from flooding in the city, CBS News reports.
"To date, we've completed the rescue of 2,000 Houstonians and members of our community," Houston Police Chief @ArtAcevedo says pic.twitter.com/PgDkuHhmSH
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 28, 2017
The amount of rainfall that Harvey brought to Houston is the most the area has ever seen in such a short time period. Rainfall totals hit above 20 inches for the entire Houston metro area Sunday, with rainfall in several areas reaching more than 30 inches, the Washington Post reports.
The National Weather Service called the hurricane “unprecedented … beyond anything experienced,” in a Sunday tweet.
This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced. Follow orders from officials to ensure safety. #Harvey pic.twitter.com/IjpWLey1h8
— National Weather Service (@NWS) August 27, 2017
The first casualty of Harvey is thought to be in Rockport, about 12 miles from the coastal town of Corpus Christi and one of the first places to be hit. A man died in a burning building during the storm, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Death counts from the storm are expected to climb steadily as rescue workers continue to round up people stranded by the storm.
“We fully expect that as the water recedes that there would be some grim discoveries,” Harris County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jason Spencer told the Houston Chronicle.