HOUSTON (AP) – Harvey’s floodwaters began to drop across much of the Houston area and the sun peeked through thinning clouds Wednesday in the biggest glimmer of hope in days for the besieged city. But as the crisis eases, the storm could begin to give up its dead.
“We have good news,” said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. “The water levels are going down. And that’s for the first time in several days.”
The number of confirmed deaths rose to 20 when authorities reported that two men drowned on Monday. One of them drove around a barricade and into standing water, while the other tried to swim across a flooded road.
Authorities expect the toll to rise as the waters recede and they are able to take full stock of the death and destruction wrought by the hurricane.
Many thousands of homes in and around the nation’s fourth-largest city were still swamped and could stay that way for days or longer. And some Houston-area neighborhoods were still in danger of more flooding from a levee breach. Officials said 911 call centers in the Houston area were still getting more than 1,000 calls an hour from people seeking help.