Harris County evacuation map: Residents along San Jacinto River urged to take action
HOUSTON - Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is urging residents along the San Jacinto River who have not heeded the call for evacuations or preparations to do so now.
On Thursday, Judge Hidalgo issued a mandatory evacuation for residents along the East Fork of the San Jacinto River and is urging those who remain in their homes on Friday to leave while they can.
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Judge Hidalgo says residents along the West Fork are not at as high a risk but should still evacuate their homes or prepare to shelter in place for two or three days. Those areas include Kingwood, nearest the San Jacinto River, Forest Cove, North Shore, Bellawood, and River Crest, Kingspoint and Atascocita Shores.
Judge Hidalgo says the water was expected to arrive around midnight or in the early morning hours, but it is now expected to arrive midday.
"So, the bad news is, it's coming. The good news is people have a little bit more time to prepare," Judge Hidalgo said.
Residents can check the map on the county’s website to see if they are in the evacuation zone. Click here.
According to Judge Hidalgo, around 26 people and 30 pets have been rescued so far after the heavy rains on Thursday left areas flooded and more rain moved in again Friday morning. However, she’s warning those who choose not to evacuate that it could put their lives and the lives of law enforcement in danger.
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"Why are we saying mandatory evacuation? We had a request for a voluntary evacuation a couple of days ago, and the situation then was not threatening to life safety. The situation today is threatening to life safety. And so we want to signal how important this is," Judge Hidalgo said. "We can't force somebody to leave. But if you stay there, not only are you a sitting duck, but you're putting our law enforcement in danger. And at some point, we can't send law enforcement into swift water that is sure to pose a threat to their life, because you made a bad decision."
Shelters have been established for those who need to evacuate. Click here to see a list.