Texas Begins Mandatory Evacuations Ahead of ‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Harvey

ARANSAS PASS, Texas — As Hurricane Harvey makes its way to the Texas coast and is forecast to be catastrophic in nature, various cities issued mandatory evacuation orders.

Due to the incoming storm, emergency personnel in various cities would not be able to respond to calls for help, thus warning citizens they would likely be on their own if they decide to remain. The cities issuing an order for mandatory evacuation include: Port Aransas, Aransas Pass, Ingleside, Rockport, Portland, and Refugio.

Soon after the orders were issued, residents took to the various highways toward San Antonio or other areas. Currently, Corpus Christi has not yet issued an evacuation, though hundreds of residents are leaving voluntarily. County officials closed beaches and parks in preparation. 

Texas governor Greg Abbott issued a state disaster declaration for 30 counties, Breitbart Texas reported.

City officials began using school buses to ferry residents to shelters in San Antonio, where the storm is not expected to cause major damage. Some residents who have not left are filling sandbags to protect their homes from flooding.

Tony Aranda is a contributing writer for Breitbart Texas.