Dear God! La Vita Bella Nursing Home, Houston RN-Please Text HARVEY to 90999 to Make a $10 Donation to Red Cross #houstonflood ♥️Pls RT♥️
Several areas in Houston, Texas, have flooded following heavy downpours brought to the area by Hurricane Harvey. The photo above was taken at La Vita Bella Assisted Living in Dickinson, Texas. It shows elderly residents submerged in waist-high water. Some of the residents were shown in wheelchairs while others were sitting on couches or recliners, surrounded by the flood water.
Rescue teams have been working diligently to evacuate the facility. According to The Daily News in Galveston, 15 people have been rescued so far.
“We were air-lifting grandmothers and grandfathers,” said the city’s emergency management coordinator, David Popoff. It is unclear how many residents are still inside the nursing home at this time, but many are hoping that the National Guard arrives to help soon.
Kimberly McIntosh is the daughter of the woman who owns the facility. She was sent the shocking photo on Sunday morning.
“[My mom] said it was a disaster and they were hoping the national guard would come,” McInstosh said.
The Houston area received over 21 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, according to The Washington Post. The site also confirms that there was not a mandatory evacuation put in place for the Houston area ahead of the storm, which many now believe was a mistake.
“For Houston, Harris County, the county judge and I both agreed that for us this was a major rainfall event and so there was no need to evacuate. We are asking people to stay off the streets. Quite frankly, leaving your homes, getting on the streets, you’ll be putting yourself in more danger and not making yourself safer. And so, we’re just asking people to hunker down,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.
As of Sunday, August 27, a Flash Flood Emergency advisory is still in effect in Houston. According to the National Weather Service, more rain is expected in the area and the risk of flash flooding is considered to be “life-threatening” at this time.
“Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly. This is a FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY for continuing life threatening flooding due to continued training rainfall.”
