AUSTIN, Texas �� Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that more than 338,000 power outages caused by Tropical Storm Harvey and related weather issues might not be addressed "for several days."
"The reason for that is because the wind speed in the areas of where they going to be able to take care of those outages has to decrease below a certain level before they are able to respond," Abbott said at a news conference.
Abbott said he spoke with the mayors of Victoria and Port Lavaca on Friday night, but was unable to reach the Rockport and Corpus Christi mayors at that time. He also spoke with other local officials and ensured them the state and federal governments were there to help.
Abbott said more than 1,300 service members have been activated to help with the cleanup, with 500 more to be added soon.
On Friday, Abbott raised the hackles of some local officials by saying he'd leave Houston if he lived there. Mayor Sylvester Turner and Judge Ed Emmett shot back, saying that while they issued a voluntary evacuation order for the area, at that point they wanted residents to stay in place.
But Saturday, Abbott did not repeat what he would do personally, this time telling Texans to listen to their local leaders.
"It is essential for people who are near those flood zones to do several things: One is to obviously be aware of your surroundings; two is to listen to warnings given out by local officials and heed those warning; and three, whenever you do venture out by car or any other way be very cautious knowing that not only is it rising water but oftentimes it will be swift moving water that can carry you way.
"For everybody in the state of Texas, your top responsibility is to protect your life."
