Galveston mayor urges residents in flood-prone areas to move to higher ground

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Ahead of Hurrican Nicholas, the mayor of Galveston urged residents who live in flood-prone areas to seek higher ground.

During an interview with Mayor Craig Brown Monday night, he said though evacuations for the city weren't formally planned, he wants residents in low-lying areas to move to a more elevated area.

"We started Saturday notifying our residents that we were going to have flooding," said Brown. "The main event would be a heavy rainfall, if we get that, and so we advised our residents to take precaution and move to higher ground."

Just before midnight Monday, ferry services between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula were suspended due to worsening weather conditions. It wasn't immediately known when the ferries would resume service.

In flood-prone Houston, officials worried that heavy rain expected to arrive late Monday and early Tuesday could inundate streets and flood homes. Authorities deployed high-water rescue vehicles throughout the city and erected barricades at more than 40 locations that tend to flood, Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

"This city is very resilient. We know what we need to do. We know about preparing," said Turner, referencing four major flood events that have hit the Houston area in recent years, including devastating damage from Harvey, which flooded more than 150,000 homes in the Houston area.

Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo asked residents to stay off the roads Monday evening to avoid risking their lives or the lives of first responders who might be called to rescue them from flooded roadways.

"What I need each resident to do is get where you need to be by 6 p.m. and stay there," said Hidalgo, the top elected official in Harris County, which includes Houston.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.