Prisoners evacuated over flood risk in Texas after Hurricane Harvey
Texas officials are evacuating thousands of inmates from three prisons in Brazoria County south of Houston as nearby Brazos River rises from Hurricane Harvey's heavy rain.
The Department of Criminal Justice says about 4,500 inmates from the Ramsey, Terrell, and Stringfellow Units in Rosharon are being taken by bus to other prisons in east Texas.
Additional food and water has been delivered to the prisons receiving the displaced inmates.
Harvey came ashore in Texas on Friday night as the strongest hurricane to hit the US in more than a decade. It has since weakened to a Category 1 storm.
The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Harvey's maximum sustained winds have decreased to about 75 mph (120 kph) and that the storm is now centred about 25 miles west of Victoria, Texas.
It said in its 10am update that the storm is expected to weaken over the next 48 hours and to become a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon. The storm is moving north at 2 mph (3 kph).
The hurricane centre said although winds are weakening, the storm could cause catastrophic flooding over the coming days.
AP
