City officials say more evacuees, as many as 10,000, may stream into San Antonio as millions of people in the Houston area face the devastation of Tropical Storm Harvey, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg says San Antonio will display the same welcoming spirit that the city shows to vacationers and conventioneers when it greets people fleeing destruction in Houston and along the coast.
"The outpouring of support from our residents to evacuees and donations of food and blanket donations as well as donations of their time and energy has been truly awe inspiring for all of us," the mayor said.
The city is ramping up operations to take in additional evacuees, who are arriving by bus and by private vehicle. "There are still neighbors in need, and we will continue to work hard to fill those needs," he said.
Nirenberg says one area where San Antonio hospitals are stepping up is to find hospital beds for medical evacuees.
Houston's Ben Taub Hospital is being evacuated, County Judge Nelson Wolff said, and more than 300 of those patients are expected to be moved into the University Hospital System.
Mayor Nirenberg says it has been 'an honor' to see how San Antonio is stepping up to help the evacuees. The places where items for evacuees can be donated, including food, blankets, diapers, pet items, and NEW clothing, has been expanded to include all ten City Council district offices.