With emergency services under strain, it's up to local residents to help their flooded neighbours to safety
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Residents of Houston, Texas, have been asked not to leave their homes, as flooding caused by hurricane Harvey has made roads impassable.
Those in desperate need of help have been advised to take to their rooftops, and to use sheets to attract attention.
But emergency services can’t keep up with calls for help, as authorities instruct the public not to dial 911 unless their life’s in immediate danger.
It’s not a typical Sunday.
While most were sleeping NYPD cops &FDNY</a> quietly left to Texas to offer help and do what they can. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USA?src=hash">#USA</a> <a href="https://t.co/LCBKHAfsFX">pic.twitter.com/LCBKHAfsFX</a></p>— NYPD NEWS (NYPDnews) August 27, 2017
With emergency services at fall stretch, it’s down to locals to rescue their neighbours from houses under water.
Startling image prompts nursing home rescue in Texas https://t.co/KuvW5o3ICC pic.twitter.com/k3WpWW6iXD
— Yahoo (@Yahoo) August 28, 2017
Noah’s Ark
One Houston resident, Simon Mumford, secured his home and family in the middle of the night, before going to the aid of others down his road at 3am:
“[We] started grabbing different neighbors and getting them up in the second story here. So we had about 11 people, six dogs, two cats. A kind of a Noah`s Ark for the last seven to eight hours.”
Homes destroyed
High-water vehicles are ploughing through water-logged roads to haul entire families to safety.
Whilst people are grateful to be rescued, however, their thoughts inevitably turn to the destruction being visited on their homes.
