Harris County's morgue filling up, receives state help in Hurricane Harvey's wake

Colby Otto and Carrie Childress wade through knee-deep water toward their home on Meeks Road in Humble on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Colby Otto and Carrie Childress wade through knee-deep water toward their home on Meeks Road in Humble on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Photo: Melanie Feuk Photo: Melanie Feuk Image 1 of / 236 Caption Close Harris County's morgue filling up, receives state help in Hurricane Harvey's wake 1 / 236 Back to Gallery

The Harris County morgue called for extra storage support this week because of deaths from Hurricane Harvey and received an additional asset for 20 bodies that is not yet in use.

There is capacity for 203 decedents at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. As of Friday afternoon, there were 160 bodies in storage, according to institute spokeswoman Tricia Rudisill Bentley.

The state has provided a refrigerated truck for "extra storage capacity as ongoing search and recovery efforts continue over the next several weeks," Bentley said.





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The state has provided a refrigerated truck for "extra storage capacity as ongoing search and recovery efforts continue over the next several weeks," Bentley said.

The increasing number of bodies at the morgue since Saturday has been relieved as the week progressed and decedents were released. On Thursday, the institute sent 30 cases to funeral homes.

The latest was a 32-year-old woman found lying across a fence after floodwaters receded in the 12400 block of Woodforest Boulevard in northeast Houston. Her name was not immediately released.