Trae Tha Truth and the Relief Gang are back in action. The Houston native has been busy rescuing stranded residents in Southeast Texas as the area endures extreme flooding from Tropical Storm Imelda.
The “Can’t Get Close” rapper took to social media Thursday (Sept. 19) in an effort to reach out to anyone who may be stranded.
Numerous streets and roadways in the city were flooded out, leaving drivers stranded all across the city, and in areas like Kingston and Beaumont. In addition to flooding, the storm triggered massive power outages. According to Trae the Truth, the water reached his chest during one rescue attempt.
The storm’s aftermath could rival that of Hurricane Harvey, which ravaged Houston in 2017. At least two people have died from the storm. One of the victims was electrocuted before drowning as he tried to rescue his horse, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner acknowledged that the city was unprepared for the storm. “This happened very quickly,” Turner said. “But it’s just demonstrating that in this day and time, climate change is real. And we no longer have to be concerned just with a hurricane. We have to be concerned with almost any sort of weather system that can quickly evolve into a major storm and produce a great deal of rain.”
The Beaumont Police Department has so far received hundreds of high water rescue and evacuation requests. As of Thursday night, the BPD announced that evacuation efforts will be suspended from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. local time. “Rescue crews will continue to respond to life-threatening situations only,” the department tweeted. “If you are still in an area with standing water, seek higher ground and shelter in place. Be patient & only call 911 for emergencies.”
The 911 operations center has experienced a heavy call load with over 250 high water rescues and 270 evacuation requests. If there is an immediate threat to life safety, call 911. For non-emergency calls please call 409-832-1234.
— Beaumont Police Dept (@beaumont_police) September 19, 2019
Evacuation operations have been suspended from 7:30 p.m. – 7:30 a.m. Rescue crews will continue to respond to life-threatening situations only. If you are still in an area with standing water, seek higher ground and shelter in place. Be patient & only call 911 for emergencies.
— Beaumont Police Dept (@beaumont_police) September 20, 2019
The storm also caused the FAA to ground all planes flying into Houston’s George Bush International Airport Thursday morning. “No arriving flights into Houston today, only few departing flights,” read a tweet from the airport. Flight operations are expected to fully resume Friday.
No arriving flights into Houston today, only few departing flights. Flight operations are estimated to resume tomorrow afternoon per the FAA. Will update if that changes to an earlier time. Check w/ airline on flight status. Roadways approaching IAH are clear at this time. pic.twitter.com/FDXH4JnhQl
— Houston Bush Airport (@iah) September 19, 2019
See photos from the storm below.