Over 1,100 Evacuees In San Antonio Shelters After Harvey Hits

As Harvey downgrades to a tropical storm, the threat of severe flooding is expected to last for days as the storm still churns over Southeast Texas.  

San Antonio is serving as an evacuation site for people fleeing the Gulf Coast.  There are at least 1,100 people inside shelters provided by the City of San Antonio.

Inside a middle school shelter, dozens of people sit on cots including parents with children. Small bags of personal belongings line the rows between beds. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg says the city is expecting to open more shelters.

“This is a staged and coordinated effort to relieve the victims of the hurricane along the coast. We’re still getting people who are evacuated out of the coastal areas,” he says.

Nancy King evacuated from Aransas Pass with her boyfriend and three dogs. Once they arrived in San Antonio, her boyfriend started having seizures from stress.

"He was having one right after another and so they took him to the hospital,” she says.

San Antonio’s city’s shelters are prepared to be open for days or even weeks, if necessary, with the help of the Red Cross.