Evacuees in east Texas desperate to go anywhere else as flooding crisis continues
People in east Texas are desperate to leave the flood zone. Helicopters there are still pulling people out of floodwaters and the city of Beaumont has been without running water for 24 hours. Evacuees lined up at Beaumont's airport Thursday night, boarding planes and buses headed out of town. Many didn't care where they were going, reports CBS News' Anna Werner.
As many as 60 people at a time packed into military C-130 cargo planes.
"It's very important that we get out of here tonight," Corey Morris said as he was waiting to board a bus with his wife and three daughters.
"They say we're going to Dallas or San Antonio. You know what I'm saying? Anywhere to help us. Anywhere to help us. I wanna get some help," Morris said.
Jeff Delaurie is with California Task Force 6, one of more than a half a dozen agencies activated by FEMA to organize the evacuation effort.
"So far today, we've evacuated out, well, right now, we're right about 960. There's been estimates that we could evacuate as many as 5,000," Delaurie said.
Two days after Harvey's second U.S. landfall, entire neighborhoods across east Texas are still overwhelmed by flooding. In Port Arthur, white rags and shirts still hang from homes of those who signaled for help.
"We've got a boat up in front that's going house to house," said Louisiana sheriff's deputy Bryan Haymon. He joined police and volunteers to make sure no one was left behind.
"I think it just came up on them so fast. Nobody expected 29 inches of rain after the initial storm," Haymon said.
At the airport, Betty Jo White got ready to board a plane to Dallas. She was rescued by boat from her flooded apartment. The 73-year-old has never flown and never been to Dallas. She's not sure where she'll go when she arrives.
"I don't know what we are going to do. Somebody's just going to have pity on us and take us in," White said.
Emergency officials in Beaumont said they're still not sure when they'll have the water system back up and running. That means no water in that city for anybody – for those living there or the evacuees.