CBS News reporter assists Harvey flood rescues in Houston
HOUSTON -- CBS News correspondent David Begnaud spoke with CBSN on a Skype call Monday while with a group of civilians rescuing people trapped in a flooded home in western Houston.
Begnaud rode along with the group conducting rescues in the city's Fleetwood subdivision when they heard a woman screaming for help from inside a flooded home. Cellphone video shows the waist-deep flood waters surrounding the woman's home.
"There comes a certain point of reporting in a situation like this where you're allowed to report but you gotta help. That's the expectation if you're gonna tag along," Begnaud said from the scene.
Begnaud said the civilians had "nothing to do with the neighborhoods or emergency management" but they simply heard the call from officials to come and help out. "They said, 'you know what, we're on our way.'"
Crews discovered a man and woman inside the home who had called for help just an hour before the rescue. They joined Laura Blinton, another resident on the boat, who was pulled to safety by the crew earlier Monday.
Blinton told Begnaud that a foot and a half of flood water was in her home. She admitted that she wished she had evacuated earlier.
Southern Texas has been slammed with rainfall since Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Friday night. The National Weather Service says rainfall totals are expected to reach 50 inches in some parts of the state before the rain finally lets up later this week.
At least two people were killed amid the devastation and 14 others were injured.
The National Hurricane Center said early Sunday that Harvey, which became a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon, continued to cause "catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas."