BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) – His three vehicles flooded by Hurricane Harvey, Jason Bell checked at one car-rental office only to find about 2,500 people ahead of him on the waiting list. When he tried a more out-of-the-way location, the reservations still numbered about 300.
Many other storm victims have the same problem. Tens of thousands of personal vehicles were inundated by floodwaters or smashed by wind-tossed objects, creating a huge demand for rentals that has put the cars in painfully short supply in the Houston area and across eastern Texas.
Rental companies say they are bringing in more vehicles from areas including the Southeast, but the logistics problems left by Harvey could get worse as Hurricane Irma threatens Florida.
Cesar Garcia of Port Arthur, Texas, doesn’t know when he will be driving again.
“I tried renting a car and none of those places said there was availability from here to Houston,” Garcia, 28, said Monday. “I was told ‘good luck.’ Nothing.”