As much of southeast Texas continues to deal with pounding rains and spreading flooding, and the Coastal Bend tries to rebuild from devastating wind and flood damage, San Antonio continues to ramp up its efforts to care for evacuees, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The city is badly in need of medical volunteers. San Antonio's shelters have taken in some 700 medical evacuees, and many of them are at the shelters in need of assistance.
The Metro Health District is asking for physicians, nurses, physician assistance and nurse practicioners to help with the onrush of both sick individuals, and people being evacuated from Houston area hospitals.
"Thanks to an interagency collaborative effort, our medical community will be ready to help accommodate the needs of our neighbors along the Texas Gulf Coast, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said.
The Metro Health District is coordinating the medical volunteers, and working at the shelters to so everything from managing epileptic seizures to filling prescriptions for evacuees.
There is also a dire need for blood donations, with donations being accepted at several locations of the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, as well as at University Health System locations.San Antonio is currently caring for 1271 evacuees, including just under 1,000 in two shelters. The City says it is preparing to receive more evacuees as the evacuation area widens in Houston and as evacuations are ordered in the Beaumont Port Arthur area as the storm heads in that direction.
The San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association says local hotels are at 45% occupancy, and it is helping evacuees find hotel rooms.The city is also assisting FEMA's efforts to deliver badly needed supplies to the flooded and damaged areas out of Stinson Field.
San Antonio is also involved in rescuing pets from the path of the storm. The private organization San Antonio Pets Alive says it drive a specially equipped vehicle called the Tail Waggin to Houston on Monday and rescued 13 young cats, 5 kittens, and 8 large dogs over 45 pounds.
Harvey is now a tropical system moving eastward about 100 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The current forecast is for it to re-emerge onshore tomorrow, near the Sabine Pass, and continue to move into Louisiana. It has the potential to remain a storm system as far inland as St. Louis.