Getty Flood victims gather for food at a shelter in the George R. Brown Convention Center during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Catastrophic flooding from historic rainfalls in the Houston, Texas area has led to thousands of people being forced to evacuate from their homes in search of a safe place to reside until the enormous water levels dissipate.
Rainfall totals for the area following the massive storm, which made landfall Friday, have surpassed over 50 inches, making it the highest recorded rainfall in United States history. At least 30 people have died as a result and thousands more have been rescued from their living places by emergency personnel and volunteers.
The American Red Cross said Tuesday that there’s over 17,000 people that are looking for refuge in shelters. The main shelter in Houston, the George R. Brown Convention Center, currently has about 9,000 people inside it and aren’t accepting any more people. Numerous others are at capacity.
Because those shelters are being filled so quickly, officials have been forced to look for other options, and some area businesses have come in handy by opening their doors in this time of desperate need.
According to the Houston Chronicle, the primary shelter in the area is now at NRC Center convention hall, which opened Tuesday and has a 10,000 people capacity. For more details on the shelter, click here.
Here’s a list of locations in the Houston area that have been established as temporary shelters for those affected by Harvey, provided by the Southwest Management District and Fox 26 Houston:
Note: Some of the shelters allow pets while others do not while some are full and others aren’t. To find out which allow pets and to see if they’re full or have vacancies, call ahead using the contact information listed in the map at the bottom of the page.
George R. Brown Convention Center (at capacity)
Toyota Center (at capacity)
Trini Mendenhall Community Center
MO Campbell Education Center
Holy Name Catholic Church
Chinese Community Center
Kashmere Garden Library
Sunnyside MSC
West End MSC
Denver Harbor MSC
Third Ward MSC
Fifth Ward MSC
Fallbrook MSC
John Peavy Senior Center
Community of Faith Church
Fallbrook Church
Lyndale United Church of Christ
MD Anderson YMCA
Trotter Family YMCA
Dobie High School
Golden Acres Baptist Church
North Shore 9th Grade Campus
Paul Revere Middle School
Pasadena High School
HAWA Foundation
South Houston Intermediate
Francis Scott Key Middle School
Islamic Center/Masjid Al-Mustafa
Islamic Center/Masjid Abu-Bakr
Gallery Furniture on North Freeway
Alief Taylor High School
Friendswood Activiy Center
Walker County Storm Shelter
Bay Harbor Methodist Church
Huntsville High School
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
First Baptist Church – Tomball (closed as of Wednesday afternoon)
Gallery Furniture
Lone Star College – Tomball
Here’s a map of the above locations with addresses and phone numbers listed: