Harvey Fact Check: No, Houston isn't shutting off water service amid flooding

Photos: Tropical Storm Harvey hammers Houston area Mikhail Bachynsky hugs "Lily" after they were rescued from their home Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Friendswood. Neighbors with boats are using their personal boats to rescue Friendswood residents near FM 2351 and FM 518. See more images from the impact of Tropical Storm Harvey. less Photos: Tropical Storm Harvey hammers Houston area Mikhail Bachynsky hugs "Lily" after they were rescued from their home Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Friendswood. Neighbors with boats are using their personal boats ... more Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Harvey Fact Check: No, Houston isn't shutting off water service amid flooding 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The first thing to vanish from grocery store shelves when Harvey started barreling toward Houston was water.

But the Houston Office of Emergency Management wants residents to know that it's not necessary to turn off the tap just yet.

"Rumor: @HoustonPWE is NOT Shutting (sic) off water. Water is currently safe to drink and meeting 100% of the need," Houston OEM wrote on Twitter Sunday just after noon.

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Stories circulating on social media sites had claimed otherwise and the city felt it was necessary to set the record straight.

RUMOR: @HoustonPWE is NOT Shutting off water. Water is currently safe to drink and meeting 100% of the need. #harvey #houstonflood — Houston OEM (@HoustonOEM) August 27, 2017

Rumors and false stories have been a problem as Harvey pounded the Texas coast starting Friday. Before the outer bands hit Houston, a viral email claimed that the storm was going to be much worse than officials said. City officials were quick to shut the story story down.

More recently, a false contact number for the National Guard was being passed around on Facebook. The number was actually for an out-of-state insurance company, and would not reach any emergency services personnel, Chron.com reported.

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Corpus Christi and other coastal communities that took the initial brunt of Harvey have also faced a deluge of fake news, which media organizations have been quick to shoot down.

After the initial scare on Friday, Mayor Sylvester Turner encouraged residents to follow mainstream news organizations, the National Weather Service and the Office of Emergency Management for updates on the storm.

"False forecasts and irresponsible rumors on social media are interfering with efforts by the city of Houston, and its government and news media partners, to provide accurate information to the public about the expected effects of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Harvey," Turner said in a statement.