Southwest Airlines airlifted about 500 customers out of Houston’s Hobby Airport on Sunday after they became trapped during Hurricane Harvey.
The Federal Aviation Administration closed the airport on Sunday morning, and all roads to and from the airport were closed, leaving hundreds of people stuck at the airport.
It’s unclear if customers from other airlines than Southwest were also stranded in Hobby, the smaller of Houston’s two commercial airports.
The Federal Aviation Administration closed Houston’s Hobby Airport on Sunday morning, and all roads to and from the airport were closed, leaving hundreds of people stuck at the airport. Southwest Airlines used five planes to rescue those stranded in the building
Five Southwest Boeing 737s flew out of the flooded airport on Sunday to evacuate the airline’s remaining customers from the airport. The flights took all of the passengers to Love Field in Dallas. Pictured above, the airport from the view of a hotel window
The FAA had given the airline permission to operate out of the closed airport, which will remain shuttered until at least August 30. Pictured above, the airport from the view of a hotel window
Five Southwest Boeing 737s flew out of the flooded airport on Sunday to evacuate the airline’s remaining customers from the airport.
The flights took all of the passengers to Love Field in Dallas, a source told CNN.
The FAA had given the airline permission to operate out of the closed airport, which will remain shuttered until at least August 30.
Without working lights on the runway, the aircraft had to work quickly before the sun set in Houston on Sunday.
Before the rescue, Southwest released a statement about Houston’s Hobby on its Twitter page.
The statement said: ‘Our Hearts are with South Texas, our Southwest Family, and everyone affected by the storm. Flights to/from Houston’s Hobby (HOU) have been suspended.
‘Safety is paramount, and those unable to leave the airport have been advised to take shelter in place.
Some passengers were taken to a nearby hotel, where there was no food available. Pictured above, people outside the airport hotel
‘Please do not attempt to reach HOU until local authorities provide further direction. We will continue monitoring HOU conditions and provide updates as information becomes available.’
Tropical Storm Harvey is dumping more rain on Houston on Monday, swelling rivers to record levels and forcing federal engineers to release water from area reservoirs in hopes of controlling the rushing currents.
Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to strike Texas in more than 50 years, first hit land late on Friday and has killed at least two people.
It has since lingered around Texas’ Gulf Coast, where it is forecast to remain for several more days, drenching parts of the region with a year’s worth of rain in the span of a week.
Schools, airports and office buildings in the nation’s fourth largest city were ordered shut on Monday as scores of roads turned into rivers and chest-high water filled neighborhoods in the low-lying city that is home to about 2.3 million people.
The area’s vital petrochemcial industry also was crippled.
Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to strike Texas in more than 50 years, first hit land late on Friday and has killed at least two people
Houston’s Hobby Airport (pictured above) is the smaller of Houston’s two commercial airports
Torrential rain also hit areas more than 150 miles (240 km) away, swelling rivers upstream and causing a surge that was heading toward the Houston area, where numerous rivers and streams already have been breached.
More flooding is expected as water levels continue to rise, putting more residents at risk. More than 30,000 people are expected to be placed temporarily in shelters, FEMA Administrator Brock Long said at a news conference on Monday.
The National Weather Service said the worst of floods are expected Wednesday and Thursday, although there is still uncertainty over the storm’s path.
US emergency management officials said on Monday they were committed to getting federal resources to Texas as quickly as possible to help with the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, with more than 450,000 people likely to seek assistance.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said more than 30,000 people were expected to be placed temporarily in shelters after the storm made landfall over the weekend.
A disaster declaration request from the Louisiana governor would also likely be expedited, he added.