How they are crossing Houston's flooded roads

PIC: The residents of Houston had to think out clever ways of making their way across the flooded roads. (Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

WEATHER | HOUSTON

Massive flooding unleashed by deadly monster storm Harvey has left Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States, increasingly isolated as its airports and highways shut down and residents are being rescued from their inundated homes by boat.

Streets have taken a hit and residents have been forced to come up with their own ways of making their way across the flooded roads.

Take a look . . .

 

Some, like these two, kept it simple: wade through this flooded street.

They had to evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

 

 

 

Some needed a life-saving lift.

For example pet dog Simba, pictured here being carried on the shoulders by Naomi Coto as they evacuated their home.

The disastrous Harvey is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days.

 

 

 

But it wasn't only living creatures that needed a helping hand.

This truck required more than just a hand to get it down this street swallowed by the flood waters.

Some of the pushers did not take any chances, and decided to slap on life jackets. Just in case.

 

 

 

A shopping cart came in handy for some residents.

Houston's two main airports suspended all commercial flights and two hospitals were forced to evacuate patients. A local television station also was knocked off the air.

 

 

 

You know the situation is serious when tables turn and you have to carry your bike instead of it carrying you.

At least three people have been killed so far, with reports of other fatalities still unconfirmed. 

 

 

 

Others, like this trio pictured, elected to cruise down the street with swagger.

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center called the flooding "unprecedented" and said the storm, which crashed ashore late Friday as a huge Category 4 hurricane, would move into the Gulf before doubling back midweek, bringing even more rain.

 

 

 

With one hand busy on his phone, Cade Ritter rode through a flooded parking lot on the campus of Rice University after it was inundated with water from Hurricane Harvey.

The nation's president, Donald Trump, who had said he did not want to disrupt emergency efforts with a visit, is planning to head to the disaster zone on Tuesday, according to the White House.

 

 

 

Such was the gravity of the situation that some residents pulled out their kayaks and got paddling down the street.

Rising waters from Harvey inundated roads throughout the Houston area, affecting every major freeway and hamstringing efforts to move people to safety.

"It's crazy to see the roads you're driving on every day just completely under water," Houston resident John Travis told AFP.

 

 

 

This is how Riley Gardell (right) and Jacob Song made their way across a flooded parking lot on the campus of Rice University. Thanks to some floaters, they managed to get their feet onto dry land.

Overwhelmed emergency services warned residents to head for high ground or climb onto rooftops -- not into attics -- so they could be seen by rescue helicopters. More than 2,000 rescues had been made so far.

 

 

 

It wasn't all sulking and long faces. Some did not let the wet weather dampen their spirits.

By the way, emergency 911 operators in Houston received 56,000 calls in a 15-hour span -- seven times more than in a usual full day.

"We are going on fumes & our hearts ache for community we serve, but we will not stop!" said Houston police chief Art Acevedo.

 

 

There are all signs (forgive the pun) that the storm has left its bold mark on the city.

Houston proper has a population of 2.3 million people, but the greater metropolitan area has more than six million.