Harvey's shelter crisis: Where are the thousands of evacuees?
Since former Hurricane Harvey unleashed feet of rain over Houston, tens of thousands have been forced out of their flooded homes and into temporary shelter throughout the city.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 30,000 people have sought refuge in 230 shelters across Texas, according to FEMA.
The Red Cross has been operating eight shelters across Houston, some of which are at capacity.
Ten thousand people are estimated to be seeking refuge at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, more than 5,000 higher than capacity.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said people are first being taken to the convention center, but additional shelter was set up at the Toyota Center next door. As of Tuesday night, the city reported the Toyota Center was also at capacity.
According to ABC News, the high number of victims was more than the Red Cross had anticipated, leaving some to sleep on the concrete floor of the convention center. There were reportedly only 5,000 cots, enough to hold what would be capacity.
The Red Cross has since started to open shelters in Louisiana. Other major cities in Texas have opened their doors as well.
Ezekiel Lyons, left, walks with his wife at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Austin, Texas, will use its convention center to take in 2,500 people, the city announced on Tuesday. The city's animal shelter will take in pets as well.
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas will shelter 5,000 people once evacuees can safely get out of Houston. The Dallas Independent School District announced that it will allow students displaced by the hurricane to attend classes in Dallas at three of its schools.
"It's real simple," Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said. "If folks have a child they want to get educated and not sit in a center, they walk in the door, they register, put the kid down on a desk and they start learning."
San Antonio has taken in more than 1,000 evacuees.
In Houston, pastor and author Joel Osteen was widely criticized for not offering his megachurch as a shelter. The church, once home to the Houston Rockets, seats 16,000 people.
Osteen said on Twitter that the church was inaccessible due to flooding. Several on social media shared images of what appeared to be clear access to the church. The church later shared images of high water within the church, located 5 miles outside of downtown Houston.
The church opened its doors on Tuesday and began taking in people and donations.
As South Texas residents began evacuating in the early days of the storm, some hotels in the area were found to be inflating prices due to demand. A TV news crew from Austin, KXAN TV, checked into a room in Robstown, 20 miles from Corpus Christi.
They were charged a price almost triple to what they had been quoted online, the crew said.
At least 500 reports of price gauging were logged over the weekend, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told CNBC on Monday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced all local and state hotel taxes will be waived for Harvey victims until Sept. 6.
Airbnb is offering free housing to those affected in the Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio areas. Service fees are waived for those hosting. The program has been extended until Sept. 25. Nearly 400 homes are listed on the site as of Wednesday morning.
As more rain hits Texas and reservoirs overflow, flooding will continue to worsen in some areas. The recovery will take months, if not years.
"Transportation, travel and housing are expected to see significant challenges for an extended period of time," the Red Cross said.
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