Police officer drowns in Houston trying to save others

Robert Donachie, DCNF

A Houston police officer drowned in his patrol car on the way to work, police department officials announced Tuesday.

The officer, who served in the Houston Police Department for more than 30 years, drowned after his patrol car got trapped in rising waters Sunday on Interstate-45 and The Hardy Toll, The Houston Chronicle reports.

HOUSTON, TX – AUGUST 27: Police shut down highway 69 due to flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday evening, is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next couple of days. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“He was trying different routes, and took a wrong turn,” a department official told a local CNBC affiliate.

Search and rescue teams are currently trying to recover the body, and have yet to inform the officer’s family of his death. The department has not released the officer’s identity.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump headed to Texas Tuesday to survey the damage caused from Hurricane Harvey and show their support for Texans affected by the largest natural disaster to hit the state in more than a decade.

The president will visit Corpus Christi and Austin, and is expected to address the nation Tuesday afternoon after he analyzes the state of affairs in the wake of the hurricane. Trump will not visit Houston, where flood waters continue to rise. City officials are still trying to ascertain the extent of the damage caused and the number of citizens that need assistance.

Some 3,000 National Guard and Texas State Guard members are serving in the flooded areas to help assist the roughly 13 million people directly affected by the storm.

Harvey has caused at least 10 reported deaths, and that figure could still rise as authorities continue following up on reports of missing or stranded persons. Rainfall in Houston has surpassed 40 inches since Friday alone, leaving roads, bridges and homes completely underwater. In total, 9 trillion gallons of water have fallen on Texas.

Weather forecasts predict another 2 feet of rain to fall through Friday in Texas and Louisiana.

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