Abbott: Harvey could dump another 20 inches of rain on Houston

Gov. Greg Abbott hears from state operations personnel in Austin about the latest weather predictions and flooding concerns early afternoon Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, before Hurricane Harvey was downgraded from a Category 1 Hurricane to a tropical storm. less Gov. Greg Abbott hears from state operations personnel in Austin about the latest weather predictions and flooding concerns early afternoon Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, before Hurricane Harvey was downgraded from a ... more Photo: Andrea Zelinski Photo: Andrea Zelinski Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Abbott: Harvey could dump another 20 inches of rain on Houston 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN -- From a basement bunker in the State Operations Center in Austin, Gov. Greg Abbott warned that another 20 to 30 more inches of rain could fall on already soaked areas of Southeast Texas.

Twenty inches of rain have already fallen in the Corpus Christi area and 16 inches have dropped in the Houston area, Abbott said during a press briefing Saturday.

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Abbott told reporters he could not confirm whether Hurricane Harvey has caused any fatalities after blowing onto land last night, although later in the day one death was confirmed. Officials did not know how many search and rescue missions officials have made, but said responders will have to wait until wind and weather conditions wane.

Hurricane Harvey lost steam early Saturday, dropping from a Category 4 hurricane to Category 1, the least powerful classification, then to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon.

However, the storm is is expected to continue dumping rain on Southeast Texas over the next few days as it crawls further inland, bloating rivers.

In a briefing mid-day Saturday, state official told the governor they were concerned that while Harvey continued to weaken, rainfall rates would still be high. Officials also said they had little confidence in the exact track of the storm beyond a few days.

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Already, 4,500 inmates were being evacuated from the Ramsey, Terrell and Stringfellow units in Rosharon -- 30 miles south of Houston -- due to rising waters on the Brazos River from Hurricane Harvey rainfall, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced Saturday.

"I don't know if you can prepare for flooding like this," Attorney General Ken Paxton told the Houston Chronicle Saturday. "Having a storm like this is obviously unheard of."

The state has received at least 350 consumer fraud complaints since Harvey, he said, mostly cases of price gouging for water and gasoline, including one complaint of a business charging $99 for a case of water.

Law enforcement have served cease and desist letters to businesses with the most "outrageous" price gouging, he said, but add he expects more complaints through the coming days.

More than 130 people who fled homes in the storm's path ended up in an Austin community center that has been converted into a shelter. They came from parts east of Corpus Christi, around Victoria and west of Houston, according to Red Cross volunteer Geof Sloan.

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People seeking refuge in the center ranged from individuals to a family of 16. Another family fled the storm from Edna -- a small town 25 miles northeast from Victoria -- with a five-week old baby in tow, said Geof Sloan, a Red Cross volunteer.

Rows of cots and inflatable mattresses stretched across the gym. A team of boys played in the corner of the facility, tossing a soccer ball at a folded down basketball hoop standing three feet off the ground. Nearly 30 pets were kenneled nearby, including dogs, cats and a few birds.

"We have to realize what these people left behind was sheer tragedy," Abbott said later in the day when visiting people staying at the shelter housed at Austin's Delco Center.

"Some of them had their homes mowed down, some of them will not have a place to return to. They need this time and this place and this food right here," Abbott said after he, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and several area lawmakers served dozens of evacuees dinners of spaghetti, chicken, green beans and cup cakes.

President Donald Trump is expected to tour areas hit by the storm early next week, lawmakers said after the dinner, and said seeing people pull together is emblematic of the state's spirit.

"This is when Texans show the best of themselves, is when our Texas family is in pain and we rally together to take care of our family," said Sen. Kirk Wastson, an Austin Democrat.

Andrea Zelinski covers politics and education for the Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Send her tips at andrea.zelinski@chron.com.