A baby girl is now being considered among the victims of Harvey’s floods in Texas after she was swept away from her parents’ truck and was carried off by rushing water.
“As anyone can imagine, it’s been really hard on our guys,” said Punkin-Everygreen fire chief Rick Stevens, KHOU reported.
Stevens and others were called in to assist volunteers at Winters Bayou when they heard screams for help.
“They were in about 40 feet of water in a tree top,” Stevens said. “It took about three hours to get to them.”
The couple tried to get their daughter out of the truck amid heavy floodwater. “They were trying to get to the tree and hold on with the baby and the current swept the baby away,” Stevens said.
The parents were attempting to flee Houston and were driving on Highway 150.
“We do have the mother and the father at a location undisclosed right now,” he said.
An 11th death was reported on Tuesday – Houston Police Sergeant Steve Perez, 60, a 34-year veteran of the force whose body was found after apparently drowning while attempting to get to work on Sunday, Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters.
Acevedo said Perez' family had urged him not to leave the house because of the dangerous flooding but the officer told them, “We have work to do.”
Some 3,500 people have been rescued from high waters in the Houston area with police, firefighters and National Guard troops continuing to try to locate those marooned in high waters.
Reuters contributed to this report.
