Houston police officer reportedly drowns in Harvey floodwaters

The officer is believed to have been with the department for more than 30 years

Emily Shugerman
New York
Tuesday 29 August 2017 17:21 BST
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A Houston police officer blocks a flooded street as emergency services look for people stranded in flooded downtown Houston
A Houston police officer blocks a flooded street as emergency services look for people stranded in flooded downtown Houston

A Houston Police officer has drowned in the flood waters from tropical storm Harvey, officials confirmed.

Sergeant Steve Perez was driving to work in downtown Houston early Sunday morning when he made a wrong turn and became trapped in floodwaters covering the road, Police Chief Art Acevedo said. He attempted to get out of his car and escape, but failed.

Mr Perez had worked for the department for more than 30 years, and was just two days shy of his 60th birthday when he died. Mr Acevedo said the officer’s wife and father-in-law had tried to stop him from going to work, but he persisted.

“I’ve got work to do,” he reportedly told them.

Officials said Mr Perez drove around for more than two hours trying to find a path to his work station. When he couldn’t find one, he called his command centre and asked to report to the closest station instead. But the officer never reported for duty.

Officers began searching for Mr Perez on Monday, after his wife confirmed that she had not heard from him either. A dive team found his body under a highway overpass on Tuesday morning.

“He laid down his life,” a visibly emotional Mr Acevedo said. “He was a sweet, gentle public servant.”

Funeral arrangements will be delayed until the crisis in Houston has ended.

Houston's streets have been flooded with record-breaking rainfall due to Harvey, which touched down on the eastern Texas coastline on Friday. More than two feet of rain fell over the weekend – half of the total expected rainfall for the entire year.

The flooding has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes.

Houston police officers have rescued at least 3,400 people since the storm started, Police Chief Art Acevedo said on Monday. He added that more than 160 police officers' families had been affected by the storm. Many of the officers remain on the job.

The US Coast Guard had rescued an additional 3,000 people, according to Coast Guard Lieutenant Mike Hart. Mr Hart said the Guard is receiving upwards of 1,000 calls per hour.

The Harris County Sheriff's department has reported 14 people killed in the storm thus far. The police officer's death would bring that total to 15.

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