Travellers booked to travel to or from Houston in the United States today are being told to check with their airline for any flight changes as Tropical Storm Harvey passes through the city.
The hurricane arrived in Texas over the weekend, bringing with it winds of up to 40 mph and heavy rainfall, which could reach up to 50 inches, making it the highest recorded rainfall for the state.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm will dissipate within three days, but in the meantime, shelters have been set up to cater to hundreds of people living in flooded areas and the Red Cross prepares to host another 1,000 evacuated locals.
Updating to include rainfall today, some areas NE of Houston have received 30+ inches of rain in 48 hours. More is on the way! #txflood pic.twitter.com/6deoSQqjnj
— NWSWGRFC (@NWSWGRFC) August 27, 2017
Over at Houston’s international airport, severe flooding is preventing airlines from operating services as per usual, forcing the gateway to suspend all flights indefinitely.
All commercial flight operations have been stopped until further notice. IB/OB roads are closed due to flooding.
— Houston Bush Airport (@iah) August 27, 2017
This suspension of flights has affected Air New Zealand’s Auckland-Houston services, with NZ28 from Auckland diverted to Auckland while today’s NZ29 from Houston will be cancelled, Stuff.co.nz reported.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation and will re-book customers on alternative services as options become available.”
Air New Zealand