HOUSTON — The Coast Guard continues response efforts for Hurricane Harvey’s impact on the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, Saturday.
Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi aircrews rescued in total 20 people and a dog after they received reports from watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Saturday morning and afternoon.
“Our Coast Guard members prepare on a daily basis for anything that may come their way,” said Capt. Kevin Oditt, incident commander, incident command post Houston-Galveston. “Anytime the Coast Guard is not conducting a mission, they are training. They are professionals.”
Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston and Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi captains of the port have set port condition zulu for the ports of Houston, Texas City, Galveston, Freeport and Corpus Christi except for Port Brownsville, which reopened Saturday morning. For more information about port condition zulu for Sector Houston-Galveston, read here.
“We are preparing to open ports once the storm has passed or weather conditions permit,” said Oditt. “The wind conditions and sea state determines port conditions.”
Three Coast Guard Western River Flood Punt teams, who use shallow-draft vessels that are capable of responding in flooded urban areas, have arrived at Sector Houston-Galveston and three are en route to the Sector.
Coast Guard assets deployed to Houston include:
- Three 29-foot Response Boat-Small from Coast Guard Station Houston
- Three 29-foot Response Boat-Small from Coast Guard Station Lake Jackson
- Two 29-foot Response Boat-Small and five 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Coast Guard Station Galveston
- Six MH-65 Dolphin helicopters assigned to Coast Guard Air Station Houston
The Coast Guard reminds the public of these important safety messages:
- Stay off the water. The Coast Guard search and rescue capabilities degrade as storm condition strengthen. This means help could be delayed.
- Evacuate as necessary. If mandatory evacuations are set for an area, the public should evacuate without delay.
- Secure belongings. Owners of large boats are urged to move their vessels to inland marinas. Trailerable boats should be pulled from the water. Be sure to secure loose items.
- Stay clear of beaches.
- Stay informed. Information can be obtained through local television, radio, Internet, and VHF radio channel 16.
For the most up-to-date weather information, visit www.weather.gov.
For imagery and video of Hurricane Harvey response, please visit the CoastGuardNews.com Flickr page.
