No order had many then who decided to stay and were then trapped resulting in thousands of calls for help to be rescued.
Political commentator Kristin Tate said the Houston mayor “completely failed the city” for not advising residents to stay on the safe side and evacuate before Hurricane Harvey.
“He didn’t even call for a voluntary evacuation,” said Tate, who lives in Houston. “We were getting mixed messages.”
Hurricane Harvey slammed southeast Texas on Friday, devastating several cities near the shore. The rains that followed put Houston halfway underwater, leaving residents who waited out the storm stranded in or on the roofs of their flooded homes. Parts of the city that were strangers to flooding were submerged.
Houston mayor Sylvester Turner advised Houston denizens to “think twice” before evacuating the city. He went head to head with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who warned people to leave.