We saw some of that flooding all over the roadways. Now were talking about major highways, i10 south of here. 69 is closed. Beaumont becoming its own mini island, and in very many places across jefferson county, you have islands just trying to get help to them, because there are so many rivers that are passing through. Rivers that used to be streamtr like this street behind me. You see the water coming off the street there. Thats traveling into a drainage ditch, and this is the problem. We just saw a man try to cross the drainage ditch. He thought it was a street. He was almost washed away before our eyes. He was able to swim right back up before the current took him away. That is why police are saying here in southeast, texas, this is not over by any means. The brunt of the storm may be head thing way right now. Drew griffin in beaumont. Emergency services and possible rescues to go into Eastern Parts of texas into western louisiana. We thought new orleans was going to have rain, four to six inches overnight. They did not see it. They were sandbagging in plaquemines parish, theyre not going to need that. It picks up with speed and mov s s out. Thats the best news. The problem again is going to be beaumont, into lake charles, parts of louisiana could see significant rainfall, possibly 10, 12 inches or more in the next 24 hours. So this is where the concern is now coming next. Weve been hearing a lot about the levy today. How bad is the levy situation in houston . Could be really bad. Here is houston. Its hard to see. Well go out to the west. We have two reservoirs right now. The first one, after course, the
addicks holds 65 billion gallons of water. If you look at the communities around this. Weve had 100 subdivisions that have been evacuated. Weve got over 3200 homes flooded. At the apex, its 1400 feet. Theyre looking to have Water Overlap that by a foot. The problem is, all the colors you see, the flood waters that are flooding all the communities, and it continues, community after community. 3200 homes. But ive got to show you this. This really breaks it down and gives you a good indication how bad the problem is. Metro houston, you can see these two areas in green. These are mainly dry areas. Authorities made a gutsy call earlier in the week to release water into the buffalo bayou, even though it was receding. They knew the water levels would rise high and above where they were. This is more of a dog park. Its baseball fields. However, if you look at google street view, you get an idea of just how large of an area this is. John, this is now drowned by up to 30 feet of water. If this this is an earthen levy, not made of concrete. It cannot withstand the pressure day after day. If this gives, it will make this a colossal situation. Its hard to fathom how much water will run down to the east. That area behind tom covered in about 30 feet of water. These pictures weve been showing you along with tom, are crews out and around houston and coastal texas. Theres just water everywhere right now. Every one of our teams seeing scenes like this. You can see the canoers on the water right there. No doubt trying to help people. Before we saw airboats and out in beaumont, you saw people as well. They could get up to a foot of rain in the next 24 hours. This scene being played out again and again and again. So many of the people need to be rescued by boat. You need to have the right kind of boat. Look how high the water is on those trees. Look how high the water is on those signs. Signs are six, seven feet tall and water is near the top of it. This is a neighborhood. This car is parked in what was a driveway. This is simply remarkable. Weve heard estimates that some 30 of harris county, where houston is, 30 of the county is covered by water. Were not talking about a couple inches. As you can see by these pictures right here. Were talking about feet upon feet upon feet. Yes, the sun is now out in houston. The worst of the rain is now over. But a lot of the water has yet to crest. These reservoirs will continue to fill for some time. And when they let out, a lot of that water needs somewhere to go. A lot of it will go down through populated areas. So the danger, very, very real still for this area. One of the reasons why the mayor of houston has declared a curfew overnight. He doesnt want people out in the danger. He doesnt want any threats to property with so many homes evacuated. Youre looking at the water. Weve seen a lot of water rescues. Theres not way to get people out, that is by air. The rescues, the aviation, it is enormously challenging, because the bad weather is no weather to fly in, especially the helicopters. Gosh, look at that car in the garage right there. These Helicopter Pilots have shown themselves to be extraordinary. Cnns brian todd joins us from the George Bush International airport. You have some Breaking News about a local chemical facility
and the danger it may pose. Whats the danger this . Reporter we have an update on that. There appears to be an Emergency Situation developing in crosby, texas, in harris county, the County Houston is in. But this area is east of houston, in harris county, but leer the l near the liberty town. This plant makes peroxide. They are worried about their ability to cool some of the systems. Theyre concerned about some kind of a Chain Reaction that might cause a large fire or an explosion. So they had an 11person rideout team that was inside the facility to ride out Hurricane Harvey and the aftermath. Theyve gotten all 11 of those people out. In addition, local fire and police are evacuating everyone with our 1. 5 mile radius of that facility. So its a fairly significant
evacuation of everyone in and around the chemical its a chemical facility that produces peroxide. So that could lead to a Chain Reaction and could be dangerous. Theyre not sure if theres imminent danger now, but because they cannot cool that plant right now, theyre getting everyone out of there. Were watching rescue after rescue unfold. Brian, i understand you went out on some air rescues earlier today. What did you see . Reporter thats right, john. This was the air Marine Operations of customs and border protection. Very dedicated Men And Women Flying these missions. We were with them on several missions today. These people pulled people out of the most flood ravaged neighborhoods in very dramatic fashion. In our black hawk, we hover next to another helicopter as a hoist is lowered. Six people and a dog are lifted
out. Other victims rescued by hoist like this rescue on monday of four people. In one of those neighborhoods, we touched down in a liver of a parking lot that. We just landed in a heavily flooded neighborhood. Theyve crammed everybody they can into this chopper. One 80yearold victim told us there is waist high water in her house and she lost everything. She was evacuated by a boat, then by helicopter to there. What would you have done if they hadnt shown up . We would have had to have gone to the attic. Theyre lifesavers. Reporter these Rescue Operations are complicated by the fact that authorities here dont seem to have an accurate count of just how many people are still out there in immediate of rescue. How many people are still stranded. Cnn has talked to authorities throughout this region about
that. They simply cant give estimates on the number of people that need rescues. Calls keep coming in and these operations have to keep adapting. The number keeps changing. Every time they think they have one area contained, a new area no floods. Brian todd, thanks so much. 360s gary tuchman joins us from a neighborhood in southwest houston. Gary . Reporter john, here in houston, the rain has stopped and the sun has come out for the first time in many days. Thats good news. It also allows you to visualize more easily the ftorrents of water that have paralyzed the city. You can see people in the water who are helping to pull in boats. Its important to note that its not just one or two or three different sections of houston
that has flooding. Its the essential part of it. The north, the east, the west, and here in the south. Its been 96 hours since the hurricane entered the state of texas, and as we speak, the search still goes on for people in flood ravaged neighborhoods. Rising water surrounds an upscale neighborhood in southwest houston. Firefighters from the small town of limer, texas, have brought several boats. And joined by Houston Police officers and us. Just a few minutes into the search, a woman opens her door and yells that she and her husband want to be taken out, but cant find their cat. Brenda norwood and her husband steve have lived here for decades. They say its never flooded before. A Police Officer spots their cat. What is his name
moochie. Come on out, moochie. Reporter there is little time to bring much else out of the house. Pets and valuables are pretty much it. The home is heavily damaged. They hope theyre able to come back soon. But for now, they board the Fire Department boat and evacuate like so many other houstonians. This neighborhood symbolizes how volatile the situation is. Minutes later, another family makes it clear that they too want out. Opening the door of their house, they dont want to wait for the water to get any higher. You okay . Yeah, yeah. Reporter a father, mother, and daughter live here. They too say theyve never seen flooding on their street before. A little devastated. You know, well get by. Reporter word of the rescue boats arrival brings others out
of their houses with pets and belongings. This couple is engaged to be mare yesterday. And now, very grateful theyre okay. But wondering what will happen next. Yesterday morning, we were dry, and i really thought we were home free. A little devastated, but well get by. Sounds like when reality meets resilience, gary. Any idea how many rescues have taken place in houston overall . Reporter john, theres no way to officially calculate it. Because theres so many different Law Enforcement bodies participating. Right now, theres one happening as you can see. These people just came out of their houses. How are you folks doing . Give me a thumbs up if youre okay. Even the little baby give the thumbs up. This is happening all day. When you hear a number, 3,000, 4,000, we know its way more than that. Since weve been standing here, weve seen like 30 people come off this one street. Civilians are participating in the rescue effort, too. They call them the texas navy. People bring their pickups and come to these neighborhoods and rescue people. They are truly heroes. Every time we turn the camera on, we see more rescues all over that city. Gary tuchman for us in houston tonight. Thank you so much. As we continue to monitor the late developments throughout the program and tonight, we are going to seek with houstons police chief, the department has lost one of its own if the storm. And later, the president s visit. What he saw, what he said, and the reaction to his visit when 360 continues. Each year sarah climbs 58,007 steps. Thats the height of mount everest. Because each day she chooses to take the stairs. At work, at home. Even on the escalator. That can be hard on her lower body, so now she does it with dr. Scholls orthotics. Clinically proven to relieve and prevent foot, knee or lower back pain, by reducing the shock and stress that travel up her body with every step she takes. So keep on climbing, sarah. Youre killing it. Dr. Scholls. Born to move. Tais really quite simple. Est it comes in the mail, you pull out the tube and you spit in it, which is something southern girls are taught youre not supposed to do. You seal it and send it back and then you wait for your results. Its that simple. Come on. Scuse me. Mind if i sit here . Not if you want your phone to work. Let me guess, you cant livestream your lobster roll. And my mobile pay isnt connecting and i just got an unlimited plan. Right plan, wrong network. You see verizon is americas largest most reliable 4g Lte Network and now unlimited plans
start at 40 per line, you know what i am saying . laughs. oh this is your seat. Definitely. Yep. Just tucking it in. Nah, i wasnt going to pull it out. vo when it really, really matters you need the best network and the best unlimited. Now plans start at 40 per line for four lines. Ive been taking the stairs lately. You win, big guy. Sorry, scuse me oh, he looks so much more real on tv. Yeah. Over 75 years of savings and service. Get your rate quote today. This is houston tonight. You can see rays of light. Rescues are taking place everywhere we look. And reality, so much more work to do across that city. More than four feet of rain has fallen in houston. The Convention Center housing about 10,000 evacuees. It is getting full. The nearby Toyota Center will take some pressure off. People throughout the area are being changed like never before. You really get to know people during moments like the one houston is going through right
now. Really in big and small ways, character does come out. In this case, raw, immediate grieving for a fallen colleague. Sergeant steve perez died answering the call to duty sunday morning. He was 60 years old, a 34year veteran of the Houston Police department. A dive team recovered his body. The police chief of houston spoke about this, this afternoon. We called for our dive people. We even used one of our what do they call them in louisiana, god bless them. Our american cajun navy. They helped us look for him. So it was too treacherous out there to go under and look for him. So we made the decision to leave
officers there, waiting until the morning, because as much as we wanted to recover him last night, we could not put nor officers at risk. In addition to the loss of sergeant perez, many members of the Houston Police department are dealing with other strains. Moments ago, houstons mayor include damaged homes indeed those of 200 Houston Police officers. The cheep joief joins us now by. Let me express our condolences to you, and the members of the family of sergeant perperez. What do you want people to know about this 34year veteran of the force . I want people to know this is a man that served 34 years old. While many would be retired, he had the heard of a servant. And he died doing what he loved to do best, which was to protect
the people of this city. Like i told his life, i dont think theres another way he would rather go if he knew the good lord was going to take him this week. Theres a Picture Showing you and members of the Police Department holding an american flag. How are your Officers Holding up with the exhausting hours theyre dealing with right now, the death of their beloved colleague, and the fact that their own families and own homes are in constant danger . I think moments like this define the heart of an organization, moments like this define individual officers, resiliency and their careers. They know that this is an event thats going to be talked about for generations to come. And i cant tell you enough about the collective heart of this organization. They shed some tears. They shed some blood. Theyve shed a lot of sweat. Theyve gone hungry. Theyve gotten wet. Ive had officers in the same uniform for three days. But were still here and were not going to give up on our communities, just like they Havent Given Up on us. The scenes weve been seeing hour after hour are unbelievable. And inspiring. What is your latest sense, though, of how many residents still need to be rescued, how many might be unaccounted for . Well, we in our department have a couple hundred calls still pending. But were hopeful that now that things are oepg up and were getting more assets in theater, my biggest fear is what were going to find once we go into secondary searches of these neighborhoods. Right now, were still doing a response to active calls for help. So our fear is what were going to find once we start doing our secondary searches and our hearts are broken, because weve
seen so much destruction and so much suffering. But people thwere going to con were not going to stop. The sun did come out tonight. You could almost hear the cheer all over the country coming from houston when they caught the first glimpse of that. I do imagine its going to pose a challenge for you in the coming days. When it stops raining, people are going to want to go home, if they can. But most people shouldnt even start trying yet, should they . No, they shouldnt. Theres a lot of things that still have to be done. The water has not gone away from a lot of these infected neighborhoods. There are a lot of threats and hazards. Until we declare the area safe to return, they should not go there. They should wait and they must wait until we can have an orderly return. I know its frustrated and its for their safety, and we urge people to be patient. Lastly, theres a lot of tributaries and rivers upstream. A lot of water wicking ining i over to the gulf. We still dont know how much more water is coming our way. One reason you have to be so careful. Chief acevedo, thank you for take thing time. Please, our best to everyone on the force tonight. Thank you very much. And to the chiefs point, were just hearing from officials saying between 9,000 and 10,000 people have been rescued in the region so far. As for the Houston Police department, men and women have rescued at least 3,000 people. Next, well speak to a woman who lost six Family Members in the storm and how shes getting through this terrible ordeal. Be. Lease the 2017 rx 350 for 399 a month for 36 months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. Gloria always went big. So we helped her plan a Memorial Service that no one would soon forget. This ones for you, gloria. Only a Dignity Memorial Professional can celebrate a life like no other. Find out how at sanfranciscodignity. Com. The president had a chance today to see what some of you are seeing firsthand right now. He toured the destruction and oversaw the federal emergency response, while staying far away from the Disaster Area to avoid
taking resources away from where theyre needed most. Jeff zeleny joins us from austin. Jeff, what did the president have to say after he had a chance to visit . Reporter john, good evening. President trump, as he went along, had so many surpearltives, saying this is horrific, epic, the but he didnt seem to reach the empathetic mode. At times in corpus cristi, he invoked a campaign message. We love you. You are special. Were here to take care, and i want to thank you for coming out. Were going to get you back and operating immediately. Thank you, everybody. What a crowd, what a turnout. Reporter what a crowd, what a turnout. That was sort of an interesting thing for the president to say. We know he likes his big crowds. But theres no question, i talked to people who spent the day with him, including the two senators from here, who said he walked away feeling the impact from this. They believe that will be helpful with the recovery and the government funding. Do we know more about the president s man to return to the region this weekend . Reporter john, we do. The president is planning to come back on saturday, likely to visit houston. Thats what the white house would like to do. But of course, it depends entirely on the situation on the ground there. Also keeping an eye on louisiana, which is placing for flooding, as well. John, hanging over all this, the 12year anniversary of katrina. As President Bush was heading home from his vacation in crawford that year, President Trump wants to act more urgently. Theres no quick sort of results
of that. So this is the beginning certainly, not the end of something that will be with President Trump for the remainder of his term. Jeff zeleny for us in austin. I think so many parts of texas would love to see the ground underneath the water. This is live pictures from beaumont, which still could see ten inches of rain overnight and into tomorrow. Still very much in the danger zone. As we continue to watch Harvey Revisit areas already saturated, the stories are emerging and some are heartbreaking. Four children, age 16, dominic, age 14, xavier was 8, and davy, just 6 years old, missing tonight, and presumed dead along with their great grand parents. They were fleeing the rising waters in a van in northeast houston. The driver said the water became too deep, the van began floating. He made it to dry land, the
others did not. I spoke with his sisterinlaw, virginia, the childrens great aunt, earlier today. Virginia, were so sorry for your loss. I cant imagine what your family must be going through. How are you holding up . Were not holding up good. Were devastated. I can only imagine. Walk us through what happened ye yesterday. I understand your brotherinlaw was in the car, they were all trying to escape the rising water. What happened next . Well, they were in the van, they were driving, and he said as soon as he got over the bridge and started making that turn, the current just lifted up the van and started pointing it towards into the water. It just took the van. And he had his window down. He managed to get out, and he tried to get around the van, but he couldnt because the current was too strong. He grabbed on to a tree limb and he was telling the kids to open the door, get out. And he said they couldnt get out. It was so fast. He said he couldnt do anything, that the van went into the water, and that was it. He was just left there hanging, and was there for he doesnt know how long. He felt like it was like 45 minutes or something, just hanging there. And then some guys came buy and they rescued him. How did you find out what happened . He actually called my husband, and my husband answered the phone, and my husband said he was like so you couldnt understand, he was like a robot like, theyre gone. He says, what are you talking about . He said mom and dad, theyre gone. He said where are my husband d
phone, he was hysterical, screaming, no, no. I picked up the phone, i said tell me what happened. He said, theyre gone. I said whos gone, what are you talking about . He goes, mom and dad, theyre gone. I go, what happened . He said they were in the van. I said wheres my babies. I said, theyre gone, too. What are you talking about . Theyre dead, they drowned. I said no, you cant be telling me that. Tell me where they are. He said, theyre over there in the bayou. I said fregreens bayou, where . He said right by the green river. I said, oh, my god, oh, my god. He goes, im sorry, im sorry. He just kept telling me he was
sorry. He said i was trying to save all of them, im sorry, im sorry. And then i dont remember who hung up, because i was just screaming and crying. I didnt know what was going on after that. What have Rescue Workers been telling you . Have they been able to locate the van . No, they couldnt see the van. I talked to the Sheriffs Department today, and they wanted me to know that he was so distraught when they found him hanging on that free limb. He was crying and telling us that there that his parents were in the van and that the van was down there in the water,
back to texas in just a moment. First, we want to get you caught up on two other major stories breaking if the Russia Investigation and north koreas latest Missile Launch. Well start with the Russia White House watch. And new subpoenas issued for two associates of paul manafort. An update on that meeting that manafort, Jared Kushner and donald trump, jr. Had at trump tower after they were promised dirt on hillary clinton. Pamela brown joins us now. The latest on donald trump, jr. , and the many questions about his meeting. Reporter right. We have learned today that donald trump, jr. , President Trumps oldest son, has agreed to sit down for a transcribed interview with the Senate Judiciary committee, similar to what trumps soninlaw, Jared Kushner, did just recently. We dont know the exact date,
but said he is expected to meet with people on capitol hill, the staff of the Senate Judiciary, sometime next month. Investigators want to learn more about his attendance at that 2016 meeting at trump tower where he was promised dirt on the clinton campaign. And they want to know why his initial statement saying it was only focused on adoption didnt include the fact that he was promised derogatory information on clinton. As you recall, he tweeted out the email exchange that led to that meeting. But it is noteworthy that the president s son has been caught up on the Russia Investigation on capitol hill. And the subpoenas connected to paul manafort, what do we know about that . Reporter this could be viewed as an aggressive tactic by Robert Mueller to issue subpoenas to a former lawyer for manafort, and manaforts current spokesman jason maloney. The subpoenas requested
documents and testimony from an attorney who represented paul manafort, as well as to jason maloney. This is according to several people familiar with the matter. This is on top of subpoenas issued to pr firms. Paul manafort is under investigation for tax and possible financial crimes before he became the President Trump campaign chairman. The fbi raided his home just last month, so it appears the investigation is only heating up. Pamela brown, thanks so much. Now to north korea. The latest Missile Launch and a new threat. President trump says all options are on the table. Bac Ambassador Nikki Haley says enough is enough after north cryia launcry ia north korea launched a
ballistic missile over japan. Were joined now from the white house with the latest. Sara, we noticed a different tone from the president today. No mention of the fire and fury he threatened north korea with in the past. Reporter thats right, none of that sort of bombastic comments we saw President Trump make the last time we went in this war of words. Instead he talked about north korea being increasingly isolated, he said all options are on the table. A much more traditional response to this Missile Launch. Sort of in line with what we might have seen and did see from past administrations. Reporter absolutely. No president wants to stand here when theyre dealing with a country like north korea saying were taking the military option off the table. Certainly President Trump is not going to do that. So that is what this administration stood by tonight. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on the flight back here from texas. The president is not going to forecast what his plans are, but obviously he means it when he
says that every option is on the table. Any comment from pyongyang . Reporter they have acknowledged this Missile Launch, and according to the state media there, kim jongun is very satisfied with the launch. He said its designed to send a signal to the u. S. Sarah murray, thank you so much. Up next, back to texas for an already devastating storm thats expected to make a new landfall along the board we are louisiana just hours from now. Well get an update on the ground. And well introduce you to one of the heroes of houston, a man known as mattress matt, who has turned his Furniture Store into a muchneeded temporary shelter. Right plan, wrong network. You see verizon is americas largest most reliable 4g Lte Network and now unlimited plans start at 40 per line, you know what i am saying . laughs. oh this is your seat. Definitely. Yep. Just tucking it in. Nah, i wasnt going to pull it out. vo when it really, really matters you need the best network and the best unlimited. Now plans start at 40 per line for four lines. People would ask me that we traveled,ntries what is your nationality and i would always answer hispanic. So when i got my ancestry dna results it was a shocker. Im from all nations. It puts a hunger in your heart to want to know more. Blue moon is a wellcrafted Belgian Style Wheat Beer brewed with valencia orange peel for a refreshing taste that shines brighter. Blue moon. If you have moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis or crohns, and your symptoms have left you with the same view, it may be time for a different perspective. If other treatments havent worked well enough, ask your doctor about entyvio, the only biologic developed and approved just for uc and crohns. Entyvio works by focusing right in the gitract to help control damaging inflammation and is clinically proven to begin helping many patients
achieve both Symptom Relief as well as remission. Infusion and serious allergic reactions can happen during or after treatment. Entyvio may increase risk of infection, which can be serious. While not reported with entyvio, pml, a rare, serious Brain Infection caused by a virus may be possible. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, experience frequent infections, or have flulike symptoms, or sores. Liver problems can occur with entyvio. If your uc or crohns medication isnt working for you, ask your gastroenterologist about entyvio. Entyvio. Relief and remission within reach. Its ok that everybody ignoits fine. N i drive. Because i get a Safe Driving Bonus check every six months im accident free. And i dont share it with mom right, mom . righhht. Safe driving bonus checks. Only from allstate. Switching to allstate is worth it. You dont let anything lkeep you sidelined. Come on thats why you drink ensure. With 9 grams of protein, and 26 vitamins and minerals. For the strength and energy, to get back to doing what you love. Ensure, always be you. Harvey hit the texas coast as a category 4 hurricane, that was friday. Now cities near the texas Louisiana Border are bracing for another landfall late tonight or early tomorrow. Want to check in with ed lavendera, hes in league city, texas. Ed, what did you see today . Reporter good morning, john. The good news is here tonight, the last several hours the rain has stopped in the houston area or at least in the southern part of the city. League city is south of houston. This is one of those neighborhoods where a fleet of volunteers, you can still see the jet skis and kayaks left behind here from the work that was done, going in, rescuing and
taking out as many people who wanted to come out as possible. So all that work has continued. The good news is, were seeing some of the floodwaters here receding. If you take a look down here at the ground, john, see where the High Water Mark had come up here to the street from this particular subdivision, so at least here in the last couple of hours, it has dropped a decent amount. With the rain stopping, the hope here is that this will recede as quickly as possible, but the question is, theyve never seen flooding like this, so they dont know how long its going to take really for all of these floodwaters to recede. It is unbelievable the amount of work that has been done here over the course of the last 24 hours. In a town nearby, more than 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes in just over 24 hours. So that, dramatic work and intense work throughout much of the region. Were on the south side of houston, this isnt just a problem confined to the city
limits. The flooding and devastating flooding really reaching out beyond the cope scope of the ci itself. Thats the first time i heard the word, recede, used the last few days. Thats awfully nice to hear. Are there people choosing not to be evacuated at this point . Reporter you know, there are. There have been a number of people. We talked to a lot of these volunteers who are putting out their boats and said over the last couple l hours theyre get into some of these neighborhoods and there are a number of people choosing not to evacuate. And that can be for a number of reasons. Ear so some people are stubborn, dont want to leave. A lot is protection of property, people who want to stay back and make sure that their neighbors homes are okay, that theres no looting in place. In fact, before we came on the air here tonight, john, there was a group of officers that were alerted to some suspicious visitors here to this particular neighborhood. They jumped out of their truck, got on a boat and went, started floating into is this neighborhood to inspect that. It ended up being a false alarm. When the officers came off, they were definitely the type of thing theyre definitely concerned about here now that the rain is slowing down. All right. Ed lavendera in league city, texas, thanks so much. There have been so many stories of people helping friends, neighbors and complete strangers. Tonight we want to introduce you to one man in houston whos giving people shelter from the storm and a soft place to land. His name is jim mackingvale, known in houston by just about everyone as mattress mack. Hes letting people take refuge in his two Furniture Stores. Hes truly one of the heroes of Hurricane Harvey and he joins me tonight. Mack, so set the scene in your stores right now. How many people are you looking to shelter, how many people are inside right now . We have about 300 people at this store and the North Freeway in houston county, the central part of houston, and out in west houston, the richmond area, we have about 400 including 75 National Guard officers and military people. So about 800 people total in both stores. And i understand you actually gave out your personal Cell Phone Number when inviting those people in in need. Has your phone been ringing off the hook . Yes, 2818449163. Continues to ring off the hook. Were trying to help as many people as we can. We have more capacity in our richmond facility. Were looking at more refugees out there and theyre getting more and more flooding out there, want to come, that store remains more capacity. This ones kind of tapped out, but, yes, its been quite the journey for all of us texas and houstonians with the floods and hurricane the last several days. Talking about texas and houstonians, youre not just talking about people, right . Youre giving shelters to pets as well . Yeah, we shelter pets. We have lots of dogs and cats in both facilities. And for those people who couldnt get to one of your stores and moving around is so difficult right now, you actually sent out one of your Delivery Trucks . Yeah, we have several delivet
through the high water easily. All day sunday we rescued people out of high water stranded on overpasses, these type of things and brought about 200 people into the store that way. Quite dangerous at night, probably shouldnt have been doing it at night because its easy to drive off the road in the bayous but made it thu and got home safe and sound. You got experience in this, correct, 12 years ago during katrina, you also offered help. This is something youve done before. Yeah, we housed 200 people for 2 days during katrina, all the evacuees from new orleans that were in houston. Weve done it before. You know, with the indomitable spirit of these people, theyve been there so much, their homes been flooded, apartment been flooded, their cars washed out, yet theyre still happy and running around the store volunteering. Its really helpfopeful for all us for the human spirit. Why do you do it, mack. I do it because thats the way i was raised up. I was taught it was better to give than to receive and
although im a capitalist, im more of a social worker at heart. Trying to fulfill the lessons in life my parents taught me, which is better to give than receive. We have great employees here who take care of everything. Im the spokesperson. They do all the work and do a tremendous job. I cant say enough about them and these refugees were honored to house here the last several days and the next several days more. And if you had a message for your fellow houstonians as you head into another night with so much water still surrounding you, what would it be . Its real simple. Message of my daughter who has mental illness, that has overcome a lot, is what does not destroy us only serves to make us stronger, if not for my struggles, i would not have known my strength. Houston and texas is struggling right now. Were finding our strength in a commonality, the right, the left, centrist, were all coming together with one purpose to make all of our citizens well and whole again and thats what were all about. Thanks to people like you. Mack, thanks so much for joining us. Thank you. Glad to be here. Well be right back. Patrick woke up with back pain. But he has work to do. So he took aleve. If hed taken tylenol, hed be stopping for more pills right now. Only aleve has the strength to stop tough pain for up to 12 hours with just one pill. Aleve. All day strong. At the Lexus Golden Opportunity Sales event before it ends. Choose from the is turbo, es 350 or nx turbo for 299 a month for 36 months if you lease now. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. You push yourself every day. Tempurpedic helps you recover every night. Tempur material provides up to twice as much pressure relieving power. So you wont toss and turn. Through september 17th, save up to 500 on select adjustable sets. Tempurpedic sleep is power