Houston opens George R. Brown Convention Center to help flood victims

HOUSTON, TX - Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner opened the George R. Brown Convention Center to residents fleeing record flooding. There have been more 2,000 calls for rescue amid flooding.Turner said the George R. Brown Convention Center will be open to shelter those forced out of their homes by rising water.

All public transit was shut down and the city’s school system announced on Twitter that classrooms will be closed for the entire week. Houston has been struck by epic flooding after more than 20" inches of rain triggered widespread flooding that impacted every critical roadway and numerous residential areas. Motorists have been stranded on freeways for hours, trapped in floodwaters because off-ramps were inundated, while neighborhoods normally immune to storm-induced flooding were under several feet of water.

Turner added a complete evacuation of Houston before Harvey made landfall more than 100 miles south of the city on Friday night may have would have resulted in disaster. The city dispatched dump trucks throughout the city to rescue flood victims from the water, he said. Turner urged homeowners to resist the temptation to flee into attics if their homes become flooded, saying they may only become trapped. They have been told to climb onto the roofs of their houses rather than into attics to escape rapidly rising waters.

The George R. Brown Convention Center is located on 1001 Avenida De Las Americas, Houston, TX 77010.

Keep informed on this developing story with new updates on Tropical Storm Harvey.