Hurricane Harvey: Storm Gathers Strength, Now a Category 4
After a reporter pointed out that he seemed to be disagreeing with local calls on whether to evacuate, Mr. Abbott said, “I think it is important for the local officials who have the authority
and responsibility for this to be the ones to make the call.”
But he added, “I can be suggestive of what I would do and
that is, if I were living in the Houston region, as I once did, I would decide to head to areas north of there.”
“My point is this, and that is, if you want to take charge of your life, and ensure
that you are providing the greatest possibility for yourself and your family, I think it would be a good idea for you to take a few days off, get out of the Houston area, be safe,” Mr. Abbott said.
Greg Abbott warned at a news conference Friday than the storm was shaping up to be “more dangerous” than previous hurricanes because of the potential for widespread flooding
that could leave Texas in the storm’s grip for at least “a week if not longer.” The governor said he had asked President Trump for a federal disaster declaration.
Hurricane Rita, in 2005, never struck the city directly,
but the evacuation, spurred by the recent horror of Katrina in New Orleans, caused disastrous traffic jams; more than 100 people died while trying to get out of town.
Hurricane Rita, in 2005, never struck Houston directly,
but the evacuation, spurred by the recent horror of Katrina in New Orleans, caused disastrous traffic jams; more than 100 people died while trying to get out of town.
