Hurricane Harvey: Massive sinkhole opens up on Texas motorway after flooding
‘Pack up what you need and put it in your vehicle and when the sun comes up, get out,’ said meteorologist Jeff Lindner
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A massive sinkhole has opened up on a Texas motorway after the road collapsed due to extreme flooding from Hurricane Harvey.
Police in Rosenberg, a city about 25 miles southwest of Houston, warned residents to steer clear of the road.
“AVOID THE AREA!” they tweeted, posting a photo of the gaping hole that spread across more than half of the two-lane highway, which has been blocked off by police vehicles.
Water could be seen filling the sinkhole as pieces of asphalt hung from its edges.
“It’s dangerous,” Rosenberg Assistant Police Chief Tracie Dunn told the Houston Chronicle. “[Residents] don’t need to get anywhere near it... They just need to stay away.”
Police also warned of a second road being at risk of collapsing.
They ordered a mandatory evacuation for residents living on Huntington Road after concerns that the bridge into the area may not hold as river levels continue to rise. The bridge is the “only way out” of the area, they warned.
The area’s county judge Robert Herbert said at a news conference that National Weather Service officials were predicting water levels could rise as high as 59 feet, three feet above 2016 records and, which Mr Herbert called an “800-year flood level”.
The judge also warned that the amount of water would top local levees, carrying a threat of levee failure.
At least five people have died in the disaster, while thousands of others have been forced to climb to their rooftops to escape widespread flooding, with many still awaiting rescue from emergency services.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that 18 counties have been declared “federal disaster areas” in the wake of the storm and its aftermath, while 50 counties have been marked as “state disaster zones”.
Officials from Harris and Fort Bend counties, which include Houston and Rosenberg respectively, warned residents on Sunday to be prepared for an influx of flooding expected in the early hours of Monday morning. They recommended that people pack their cars on Sunday evening and wait for daylight on Monday to leave the area.
“The idea is to prepare... pack up what you need and put it in your vehicle and when the sun comes up, get out,” said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District. “And you don’t have to go far, you just need to get out of this area.”
Additional reporting by AP
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments