Flooding in the Houston area forced several Texas schools to close on Monday after relentless heavy rains. Hundreds remain displaced and a 4-year-old boy tragically died when he was swept away by rushing floodwaters.
Governor Greg Abbott visited Conroe and held a press conference on Monday afternoon in response to severe weather and flooding that has impacted several communities in East Texas.
Abbott recalled that there are two additional confirmed deaths attributed to the recent storms and flooding in the last week.
One was Conroe Lt. Jimmy Waller, who lost his life after a tornado last week pinned him under his home and threw his wife into a field near their residence in Trinity County. The other fatality occurred in Bosque County, where a young man also lost his life, according to the governor.
The governor asked people to report their damage through damage.tdem.texas.gov today if they haven't already because in order to get any federal financial assistance, he said the state has to have enough damage to report.
"With damages, there often come scammers," he also warned, encouraging people to be cautious when hiring contractors to repair their homes.
While there was a chance of showers and storms forecasted for parts of North Texas, the severe storms, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding that battered southeastern Texas over the weekend appeared to ease off.
However, floodwaters still closed some roads and Houston area residents faced extensive cleanup in neighborhoods where high river levels prompted weekend evacuation orders.
Meanwhile, numerous educational institutions opted to remain closed due to concerns raised by their employees, who cited circumstances that would impede their ability to attend work.
As of Saturday, at least 224 individuals had been rescued from homes and vehicles. Despite the severity of the situation, no deaths or serious injuries were reported in Harris County, where Houston is located, according to Judge Lina Hidalgo in an interview with CNN.
On Sunday, first responders responded to a 911 call regarding a vehicle trapped in swift water in Johnson County, located about 29 miles south of Fort Worth.
They witnessed a group of individuals, including two adults and a child, exiting the vehicle and attempting to reach dry ground on foot, only to be swept into the floodwaters, according to Johnson County Emergency Management.
Both adults were successfully rescued and taken to the hospital, but the four-year-old boy, identified as Lucas Warren, was discovered deceased in the water.
The Houston Food Bank, which is organizing pallets of supplies, food, and water to aid victims, is currently accepting donations at its warehouse on 535 Portwall in Houston.
The most urgently needed food items include water, crackers, granola bars, and other protein snacks, along with canned tuna with pull tops, cereal, canned soup, and ravioli (preferably with pull tops). Additionally, they are accepting donations of paper towels, toilet paper, and other items.
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